The King's Wife
by YarningChick
Summary: Rules to accepting a job from a crazy monarch; 1. Keep him from getting assassinated. 2. Don't take everything he says seriously. 3. Don't fall in love with the queen, even or especially if she's extremely cool... 4. Rethink #1.
1. A Sad Account

Out of respect for Haru, I will be leaving certain parts of this story deliberately blank, because the world doesn't need to know what all the Cat King does with her. I know posting a story like this won't earn me any popularity points, but what if this happened? What if a knight in shining armor didn't appear until long after the damsel in distress needed him?

A romance like Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere, that's what. Except cleaner, if I have any say in the matter, and I will.

Idea partially donated by EagleBlaze954.

**Chapter One: A Sad Account**

_I don't know if writing this will help me, or if it will make some sort of difference in my predicament, but it's a lot better than idly rotting in the pits of despair. I should know. I've been rotting for a couple of months now, and it's getting a little boring._

_To start off with, my name is Haru Yoshioka. If you know me, or of me, chances are that you know me as 'Queen Haru', or 'the Cat Queen'. That title seems so contradictory, now that I'm looking at it on paper. I don't feel like a queen. I feel like an expensive pampered pet that's to be strutted around in public for people to coo over._

_That's what I've been reduced to, a status symbol. My name isn't even Yoshioka anymore, it's Felinus. That means 'cat' in Latin. No one told me that, but I've been taught enough Latin to understand that much._

_Why, do you ask, would a queen have such low self-esteem? Why would she become a queen, if she clearly has no love for the position, or even her husband?_

_It's a long story. But since I literally have nothing better to do with my time, I'll tell it._

_To make one thing clear, I am a human. Or at least I was born as one, and lived as one before the Cat King pressed his suit. _

_I am the only child of a quilter and a magician. I remember my father's favorite outfit was a dark blue suit with a matching top hat. He used a long cape for special occasions, but my soft spot was for the top hat. It made my father look like an old-fashioned gentleman, but he always acted like one, even when he wasn't wearing it. My father was special for a number of reasons, but the one that will always come first to my mind would be the way he could make me dance. I loved being in his arms, and how safe and warm I felt in them. The only time I could ever dance with grace was when I was dancing with my father._

_Dad died when I was eight, fighting in a war. Mom wouldn't tell me what war it was, and we moved from Europe to Japan shortly afterward. We changed our names, since Dad apparently had a few powerful enemies that weren't going to be satisfied with his death alone. _

_My mother's name is Naoko. She was never quite the same after Dad died. She had loved him deeply and even into my high school years, I would sometimes catch her crying. She usually throws herself into her work, to ease the pain. Me? I study, and I dream. I know languages like Latin and Egyptian, and have a good idea of the world's history. I loved stories with a passion, and fairy tales were a marked favorite among them. I adored the theme of love practically from the cradle. _

_I always wanted a romance like the one my parents shared. Dad didn't use his magic to gain Mother, but they had an honest admiration and respect for each other. If Dad had a bad day at work, Mom would know immediately and do something special, just to make him smile. Their strong love for each other was such a comfort to me, both before and after my father's death._

_But this story isn't about a romance, at least not mine. _

_The trouble started when I was eight years old, but I didn't recognize it as trouble. I was walking home from school one day, eating a box of fish crackers. We had been studying sea life and the teacher had given out the crackers at the end of the lesson. Suddenly, I could feel someone behind me. I looked around to see a filthy little kitten. Her fur seemed to be white underneath the dirt and grime, but her eyes were a beautiful blue, one that could rival a summer sky._

_I'm guessing that this was because my father was a magician, but I had always been able to talk to cats. I had forgotten about it entirely, but the ability was still there. I talked to the kitten, and gave her most of the crackers after she said she was hungry. She nearly purred with pleasure, licking the box clean for any remaining fragments._

_After I had gone home with my mother, it occurred to me that the kitten might have wanted a home with me. The next day, I look around the area, but didn't find her again._

_Sure, this seems like an ordinary encounter, but it turns significant afterward. Years afterward, actually, when I was a junior in high school. Life wasn't exactly the greatest, since I was late to school every day, so much that the teacher didn't have to look behind him to know when I was trying to sneak in. Everyone would laugh at me, including the guy I still have a soft spot for._

_Machida Mishuzi._

_He was very tall and very cool. He also happened to always treat his girlfriends (he only had one at any given time, to avoid confusion for whoever's reading this) like a lady. But the only time he ever noticed me was when I was late to class, which wasn't exactly me at my best._

_The day my life turned sour seemed like all the rest. Get up late, run to school, get caught by the teacher, and get laughed at. Admittedly, getting hit on the head with a volley ball during gym was new, and so was nearly burning my hair off in chemistry. I was griping to my best friend, Hiromi Hashima, on the way home after school, when she said that it has to be an omen that something worse would happen. She had no idea of how right fate would prove her._

_She started teasing me about my crush on Machida and we started chasing each other. Suddenly, a dark gray cat wearing a gold collar walked between us, carrying a ribbon-bound box in his mouth. We watched him look both ways before crossing the street, and for some reason, I couldn't stop looking at him. _

_The light changed colors and a truck started coming up the road. _

_And the cat lost his grip on the box._

_He refused to leave it behind on the street, and the truck was coming in fast._

_Even now, as I write this, I wonder what I was thinking, to do what I did. I had Hiromi's lacrosse stick in my hand, and the cat was about to lose his life. I ran into the street, swept the cat into the net of the stick, and delivered him safely out of harm's way. If I had been half a second slower, the truck would have hit me. I would have died, just to keep that cat alive. I wish I knew why I was so willing to help him._

_I broke the stick on a parking meter and the cat and I fell to the other side of the bushes. After regaining my breath, I looked up, and got the shock of my life._

_The cat was standing on his hind legs and brushing himself off like a human would. He thanked me for saving his life, said he would repay me later, and left with his little box. I was in shock for the rest of the day._

_Later that night, when I was asleep, I was woken up by a lot of the neighborhood cats making a fuss. They're usually pretty quiet, so I looked out my window to see what the problem was. _

_It looked like a parade. Made entirely of cats. Since I figured this had to be a dream, I came down the stairs and out the door, to get a closer look._

_The party was centered around a golden rickshaw, which carried an old, greasy longhair with a purple gem between his eyes in the manner of a crown. The rickshaw stopped directly in front of my house._

_A robed cat, one I know now is named Natori, started talking about how the cat I saved was really Prince Lune. Who would have thought, right? So the king said thanks, and had another advisor give me this scroll, which said in Cat that I would be receiving gifts for my bravery._

_I was grateful, and said thank you. But when I woke up the next morning, it felt like I had woken up to a nightmare. _

_First, Hiromi calls me up and demands to know where all the lacrosse sticks came from, since they were apparently swamping her front steps. Then I find cattails covering our yard, which I was allergic to at the time. Then a bunch of cats chase me all the way to school, because SOMEONE snuck into my clothes and covered everything with catnip perfume. Why the heck would I want catnip perfume?! I may have wanted males to notice me, but not feline ones!_

_After I escaped into the school, I tried to open my locker, and found that it was stuffed full of packaged mice. Packaged __**live **__mice. They started wiggling out, and climbing all over me and the cats from before stormed the locker room and started killing them. After that, I ran towards the showers and bumped into my homeroom teacher. He could see that I was distraught (and fragrant), so he gave me leave to miss first hour so I could shower and try to get rid of the scent. While I was standing under the water, the tears fell like rain. I was so humiliated, and scared. What was happening to me, and why? I thought the advisor said that __**marvelous **__gifts would be showered on me, not all these terrible pranks._

_During lunch, I looked at the scroll to try to make sense out of it. The markings were similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics, which makes sense when one thinks about it, but I couldn't quite decipher it on my own. At the bottom of each column, there was a picture of one of the gifts. I had received the first four, but the cat wearing a crown at the end confused me. Would a royal consent to becoming my pet? It didn't seem likely._

_I chose later to take Hiromi's turn at clean-up duty, so she could watch her crush's big ping-pong game. His name's Tsuge Nashito. I was taking the trash out, when I spotted Machida with his latest girlfriend. She was so pretty, and confident. Machida seemed to be entranced by her aura. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that I was walking into a spare gym hurdle until I tripped over it, spilling the trash everywhere. I was being depressed over myself when I suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out for me._

_It was one of the advisors from the night before. I ran over and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and yelled at him. He was shocked that I didn't like the gifts, since everyone had agreed that they were great. I told him exactly why the gifts were wrong, and he was actually embarrassed. I felt a little ashamed with how dejected he looked, since they thought they really were making me happy. I apologized, and then explained that things haven't been going all that well for me._

_Then he, Natoru, that is, said something that shocked me. He was surprised about this, but supposed that pretty girls like me probably have problems, just like everyone else. I couldn't believe it. The only man that had ever said I was pretty, at least to my face, was my father. I should have realized right then that trouble was brewing._

_Then he offered to give me a private tour of the Cat Kingdom. He talked about how beautiful it was, and how I would be welcomed with open arms. It sounded great, but then Natoru started talking about my upcoming wedding to the prince I saved. I said very firmly that there was no way I could possibly marry a cat, being a human. Natoru said not to be so hard on myself and that Prince Lune was very cool._

_I'll admit this right now. What I did next wasn't the smartest thing I could have done. I wasn't quite aware that Natoru wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you get my drift, so I went philosophical. I said that maybe living with cats wouldn't be so bad. Natoru immediately assumed that I was accepting the proposal. I tried to stop him from leaving, and say that I wasn't accepting, but he got away before he'd listen to me._

_I was scared. I mean, how would a wedding look between a human and a cat? How was I supposed to call a cat 'Husband?' I didn't know what to do. More than anything, I wished that my dad was there. I finished panicking, and ran back inside the school to call my mom. I wasn't sure what I'd say to her, but all I got was an answering machine. Mom had left on an overnight quilting bee, that day of all days. _

_This meant that I was on my own, since I knew I couldn't tell anyone else what was happening. After some thinking, I decided to go some place where they wouldn't think to look for me. I went to my sanctuary._

_But since the library closed at nine, I soon found myself in need of a new place to hide. And I was found, before I could find the next place. Natoru had returned with a posse of gray cats, which managed to trip me and take me through a blue portal to the Cat Kingdom._

_The king was so unbearably smug, when the kid-__**cat**__-nappers let me off their backs. The king immediately grabbed my arm, and started showing me around, like a grand host. I tried to tell him that I wasn't interested in marrying his son, and that Natoru had messed up the message. Then he got all indignant, and asked if his son wasn't good enough for me. I assured him that wasn't the problem, and explained the slightly obvious species barrier, unaware that I was slowly shifting into a cat._

_I flipped. I shamelessly flipped out when I discovered what was happening to my body, and the entire castle got a demonstration of my extremely powerful vocal chords. Why hadn't they thought to warn me that this would happen?! _

_I tried to tell the king that species wasn't the only reason why I didn't want to marry his son. I was seventeen and had my whole life ahead of me. And although I knew that Prince Lune was a very gentlemanly cat, we still hardly knew each other. I wanted more time, which I wanted to use to make my own decision._

_After that, the king started ignoring me, saying that I would have plenty of time to get to know the prince after we were married, and that I was just experiencing pre-wedding jitters. I would have appealed to Prince Lune for help, but he was off on 'official business'. _

_Or so the king thought. The prince returned to the palace a few hours later (time that the king tried to use to make me feel more at home) and demanded to know what was going on._

_Get this. He already had a bride in mind, and it definitely wasn't me. A beautiful servant girl had caught his eye, and Prince Lune proposed to her right there in the banquet hall with everyone watching. Let me see if I can remember the exact words. They were beautiful._

"_Yuki, will you accept these crackers, as a symbol of my love for you, for as long as our nine lives shall last?"_

_Admittedly, it wasn't the first thing a human girl would expect for a proposal, but even I can admit that it was beautiful. But then Yuki opened the box, and showed me the contents._

_They were the fish crackers I had given the dirty kitten years before. The ones that saved her life. Yuki was the little kitten I had saved, and Lune had almost gotten killed, trying to give her that special gift again, to say how much he loved her. She had been the one to warn him that trouble was happening._

_So, thanks to me, the servant girl and the handsome prince were engaged to be married. A perfect ending to the tale, right?_

_But no. The story just kept going. The king approached me almost before Yuki finished accepting Lune's proposal. He said that I must have felt like such a loser, for the prince to choose someone else over me. I tried to tell him that I was fine with it, but he just brushed off my protest again, saying that I should marry him instead._

_That thought horrified me. The Cat King had been creeping me out ever since we met, the night before, and his habit of calling me 'babe' made me sick. The thought of marrying him made me throw up the fish I had reluctantly eaten only an hour before, and only because I was starving (I'm a vegetarian, usually). The king was disgusted, since I had been aiming for him, but I only got his hind paws. _

_After my stomach was emptied, I wiped off my mouth with my wrist and said, in as plain terms as I could manage, that I would never be interested in marrying him, and my terms were non-negotiable. If he really wanted to show me that he was grateful for his son's life, he could change me back into a human and send me back to my world. That was all I wanted._

_But the king refused. He said that the scroll explained that I would wed a royal, and he wasn't about to back down from the contract. I once again said that I wasn't interested in becoming a royal. He tried telling me about all the gifts he would shower on me, if I would be his queen, but I still said no. _

_I've never been the type of girl that would choose wealth over intelligence, and the king wasn't showing much of that. But he still refused to take no for an answer. I think he must have always been given whatever he wanted, for all his life, for him to turn so violent over not getting his way for once. Getting hit once or twice on the head as a kitten wouldn't shock me much, either (it would explain his crazy eyes)._

_Lune came between us and defended me. He said I should be given what I asked for, and his father told him to butt out, since he had lost his own chance with me. Lune said correctly that my opinion mattered, and that a chance with me wasn't what he was after._

_The king attacked his own son, in his fury. I tried to help him again, but my arm got clawed badly from the king's raw fury, enough to draw blood. How could I wed such a violent monster? The king somewhat came to himself, hearing me cry out in pain, but he wasn't about to give up, despite the fact that Lune would never be able to completely recover from what his father had done in his rage. _

_The king locked me into a fancy room, with an even fancier white dress lying on the bed. I tried to rip it apart in my frustration, but even with my new claws, I couldn't damage it in the slightest. It was probably spelled, to be able to withstand the kind of abuse I was giving it._

_An hour or so later, the door unlocked, and the king opened the door slightly to look within. I was about to tell him off again, but then he finishes opening the door to reveal my mother. She was still a human, but she was bound and gagged, her disbelieving eyes wide with fear. _

_The king held a long knife to my mother's throat. He said very calmly that he always got what he wanted, even if he had to fight dirty. If I didn't marry him within the hour, he would kill my mother and make me watch him do it._

_Well?! What would __**you **__have done, in my place?! Where's a knight in shining armor when you need one, right? Well, one didn't exactly appear on the horizon to save me. No one could help me._

_For my mother's life, I sacrificed everything I had ever loved. I gave up my dreams and hopes for the future I could have had as a human, to become the Cat Queen._

_And I've been drowning in the pit of despair ever since. All I have left that is truly mine is the small consolation prize my father gave me, before he left my life forever. But it will have to do. _

_For now. _


	2. A Job Offer

**Chapter Two: A Job Offer**

There is a very special place, where objects with souls, also known as Creations, can go, to find refuge from the outside world. It's a safe haven that, although connected to the world we know, is still separate.

Over the centuries, only a handful of Creations had ever been made, and only a select few of those had ever successfully made it to the Refuge. Specifically, only two now resided within its protective walls. One, a stone crow, sat on a tall pedestal, fooling untrained eyes into believing that he was nothing more than a well-crafted statue.

The other one, a doll, kept his vigil next to the window, half-watching a yellow butterfly dance across the pavilion. It was almost like watching a fish, performing a water ballet. Every movement seemed so accidental, and yet so intentional.

'_This is what I've been reduced to. Contemplating the movements of a butterfly,' _the doll thought sadly, wishing that the boring monotony of his days would be broken soon.

It had been years since he had done anything of import, and his Bureau hadn't had a client in nearly as long. Sure, he'd probably get more clients if he went public with it, but such a move wouldn't be wise. He and his dear friend would just be fought over, like having a soul wasn't enough for them to own themselves without having to fight everyone off for the right.

If he wasn't in his wooden state, he would have sighed with depression over his unique situation.

Suddenly, the butterfly's waltz was interrupted as a spot of blue light appeared at the base of the crow's pillar, growing in size. The butterfly escaped into the sky as the blue light stopped growing. The smartly dressed doll watched with interest as a brown cat hopped through the light as it disappeared behind him. The new feline stood on his hind paws and held a sealed scroll to his chest, looking around the place with foolish delight.

"My, so _this _is what the Creation Refuge looks like. Hmm, I wonder which house is the Cat Bureau," the cat said in a distinctly toady voice

'_A client!' _The orange and cream half-cat could hardly contain his excitement. Deciding that he was overdue for a little showing off, the cat doll called on the lights reflected in all the windows of the refuge. They brightened in their intensity as they passed by the confused brown cat, and pointed at the Refuge.

'_Good thing Muta isn't here to talk about how cheesy this is.'_

Dramatically, the light lessened, and the figure shifted into his flesh form in order to stand behind his double doors, while they opened dramatically to reveal him.

The brown cat stared at him as the cat doll came forward, and tipped his hat politely.

"Good evening, and welcome to the Cat Bureau."

"That was quite an impressive display, Mr. Gikkingen," the brown cat said before slipping the scroll under one arm so he could applaud enthusiastically, grinning like an idiot.

The Cat Creation nodded his head politely at the compliment.

"Thank you, but I prefer 'Baron'. I didn't catch your name?"

"Natoru," the cat supplied, bowing down a little.

Baron nodded politely.

"I see. Do you require my assistance?"

The brown cat blinked twice, and then shook his head bashfully.

"Oh no, not me. I'm here on behalf of his majesty, the Cat King." The brown cat handed the scroll to the orange one. "I better just let you read the scroll, so I don't mess up again."

Baron nodded again while breaking the crowned fish seal, and rolling the document open. He scanned the contents seriously.

"This appears to be a job offer."

Natoru nodded enthusiastically.

"The original request had been gathering dust for a while, and the king came across it again a few hours ago. There's also a bit of trouble in the Cat Kingdom, which is why the king had a fresh copy made."

"The document doesn't mention any trouble," Baron said as he rolled up the scroll.

"His majesty had the document copied directly. There are some..." The cat stopped himself, and started rubbing one paw behind his head in an embarrassed manner. "Well, I've been scolded too much to try explaining the situation myself. Will you come to the Kingdom, to hear for yourself?"

Baron nodded, looking up at the stone crow.

"If I need help later, I'll call for it, Toto."

"Call for what?"

The orange cat turned around, to see a familiar fat white cat with a brown ear coming through the entrance of the Refuge, and look through the mailbox.

"We've got a job offer from the Cat Kingdom, Muta," he informed the newcomer, who snorted.

"Have a nice trip, hope you make it back some day."

"You're coming with me."

The large cat growled, settling himself into the patio chair next to the doors of the Cat Bureau to start reading the paper.

"I'll pass, but thanks for thinking of me." The fat white cat held the newspaper pointedly in front of his face, as though the discussion was over.

The crow gargoyle shifted into his form of flesh.

"Aww, the fat old puddy tat is too afwaid to go," the dark bird said, not bothering to cover his smirk.

The feline in question hissed angrily at the bird, just managing to dodge it when it sailed down from its perch to sweep down close. The newspaper fell to the ground as the two started fighting, an activity that the two seldom took a break from.

"Watch it, Bird Brain!"

Natoru noted the large white cat, confused.

"There's nothing wrong with the kingdom, and I'm sure the cooks could accommodate your stomach."

"No one can conquer _my _stomach!" Muta snorted, taking another swipe at Toto.

"I don't know. Our chefs can satisfy _any _appetite," the brown said confidently. Muta growled again and stormed up to him.

"Fine, I'll come, but only to prove you wrong."

Baron chuckled warmly and looked up at the crow.

"What about you, Toto? Not even Muta can eat _you_."

"One of us should stay here, just in case another client comes."

Baron sighed and turned to the messenger.

"Then it will just be me and Muta."

"So you'll come?!" Natoru said excitedly, like a human schoolboy.

"Yes," Baron answered.

"For honest and for true?"

"Yes, they'll go," Toto said patiently.

"Are you absolutely sure-"

"Just take us to the Cat Kingdom already!" Muta yelled, showing the cat his claws. Natoru cowered, holding his paws over his head.

"Sorry. I've gotten into a lot of trouble over this kind of thing, and just wanted to make sure." The messenger looked at the base of the pedestal again as the blue light made an encore appearance.

"Follow me, please."


	3. A King's Dilemma

Sorry for updating late, but Christmas Eve was, well, BUSY! I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas, and that they enjoy the latest updates.

Oh, and to Nonimouse; the reason I can update so quickly is because all the stories I post on the web are completely written and beta-ed a couple times before I share them a chapter at a time over the website. I hope that answers your question, and thanks for reading.

**Chapter Three: A King's Dilemma **

Baron blinked a bit as he stepped through the portal that Natoru provided, with one of his best friends close behind him. It was akin to being in a tunnel made of blue light, except that it kept shifting, and changing directions before coming to an opening.

As the travelers stepped into a fairly large study, a large gray longhair looked up from shredding the upholstery in his nervous state. He sighed heavily with relief as his slimmer companion adjusted his hold on a clipboard.

Natoru bowed low before the longhair, a goofy smile on his face as he gestured to the two visitors.

"The Cat Bureau has arrived, Your Majesty."

The cat grunted, sitting in the couch he had just been shredding.

"Good job, Natoru. Go… water the flowers, or something."

"Yes, your Majesty!" The brown-spotted cat hopped off happily to do as his monarch requested. The Cat King sighed tiredly.

"Please take a seat, babes. This could take a while to explain."

Muta took over one couch, making the legs of it groan in agony. The spectacled cat looked closely at the large feline as the Cat Creation neatly sat down on a nearby bench, placing his top hat on his lap.

"Beg your pardon, Majesty, but Natoru didn't give us very many details as to why you're requesting our services."

"Good. He's not very good at details anyway." The king sighed again. "A few hours ago, a cloaked seer appeared in my throne room. He said… oh for crying out loud! Natori?"

The Cat King's companion left off examining Muta in order to look at the clipboard.

"He said 'in return for all your deeds, oh king, a member of your own house will spill your blood well nigh unto your death ere long'."

Baron held one hand to his chin.

"Translated, somebody in your family is going to kill you in the near future for something you did?"

The king nodded miserably, holding his head between his paws.

"I don't know what I could have done to make someone angry enough to want to kill me, but… with your Bureau's reputation…"

Baron smiled grimly.

"You were smart to call us. Now, where is this seer?"

"We don't know. He disappeared after telling the king's future," Natori said solemnly. Baron sighed softly in irritation.

"Well, then who are the suspects?"

Natori unclipped a sheet from his stack and handed it to the tawny cat. He took it, a little surprised to find that it was actually a _very_ long sheet, conveniently folded in order to make it manageable. He looked at the first section.

"Your wife is the first suspect?" the Cat Creation asked incredulously, making the king jump.

"Natori! Why did you include _her _in the list?" the feline monarch demanded.

"Just a safety precaution, Majesty," the darker gray cat said, although he looked nervous. "She _is _a member of the royal family, after all, and she never quite forgave you for-"

"If she had it in her to kill me, she'd have done it years ago!" the king shouted at his servant before turning to Baron. "Just ignore that first line. My wife would never try to kill me. She's too soft-hearted."

The Cat Creation cocked his head and kept looking down the list.

"What about your son? And his wife?"

The king started growling.

"Now those two, I can understand. I think my son's getting impatient for his turn on the throne, and he hates me with an unholy passion. Are my grandkittens on the list as well?"

Baron checked as Natori coughed.

"They're not on the list, majesty. They're too young to pose any type of threat."

"You included Haru, why not Haruhi and Harumi?"

Muta jerked, and his mouth fell a little open as the advisor struggled to justify his reasons.

"Are you all right?" Baron asked his fat friend softly, glancing at his friend while looking over the list.

"Y-yeah. Sure." But the expression on his face told a different story. Baron sighed, and slipped the list into his inside jacket pocket.

"Would your Majesty be offended if Muta and I chose to take a look around the castle? It seems that every noble and aristocrat in the kingdom is on the list, and we'll need to narrow down the suspects."

The Cat King jerked and looked at the Cat Creation.

"Are you going to leave me alone?" he asked like a scared little kitten. Baron sighed.

"Take the usual precautions, Sire. Keep guards around you at all times, have someone else taste all your food first, and stay away from open windows."

The king nodded miserably, gesturing to his advisor.

"Show them around, Natori?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," the old cat said soothingly, folding the clipboard under one arm.

"On second thought, send for Natoru to do it. I'd feel better if you stayed close by."

Natori blinked, but then bowed and pulled on a brown rope near the deep red couch. Precisely thirty seconds later, Natoru ran through the curtain, panting a bit from the exertion.

"You sent for me, Your Majesty?"

"Yes. Escort the Cat Bureau around my castle, and when they're done, show them to some comfortable rooms."

The brown fool nodded enthusiastically and gestured for the visitors to follow him. Baron tipped his hat politely at the feline monarch, though sensing that there were a lot of things that were left unsaid.

"You will not be killed, if we have a say in the matter, Majesty," the Cat Creation said soothingly. The king sighed with relief as the Cat Bureau made their exit.

"One more thing?" the king asked. "I'd rather not have my wife find out about the death threat. She tends to lose her reason when somebody gets close to losing their life, and goes a little crazy."

"We'll try, but chances are she'll find out soon enough," was all Baron could promise before leaving.

After they had walked half the length of the hallway, Baron turned to Muta.

"All right, what bothered you back there?"

The large white cat stiffened.

"What do you mean?"

"Come now, there was something the king said that got under your fur. Tell me what it is."

"Nothing."

Baron sighed, and pointedly placed one hand on a side pocket, out of which protruded a fine silver chain. Muta didn't miss the veiled threat, sighing a bit.

"I… knew a kid some years back named Haru. But it's not the same one that the king's married to. The name just kind of stuck on me."

"Was she a human?" Natoru asked as he expertly navigated the castle.

"Yes."

"With dark brown hair that brushed her shoulders?"

Muta began eyeing the guide.

"Yes…"

"Large expressive eyes the same color? Pretty face? Slim build? Tendency to speak her mind? Very giving nature to strangers?"

Muta stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with understanding horror. Natoru looked behind him and smiled grimly. The first clue given that he could occasionally be serious.

"She is going to blow a _fuse_, when she finds out that she knew a Cat Bureau agent."


	4. Eavesdropping

**Chapter Four: Eavesdropping**

Muta started choking.

"There is no freaking way that she's the Cat Queen! She's gotta be…" the fat cat left off, counting on his paws.

"Her Majesty celebrated her twenty-fifth birthday last month," Natoru supplied. "The king made sure to make it a grand affair."

Baron cocked his head, more than a little disturbed.

"But that would make His Majesty old enough to be her grandfather," the tawny feline said after a quick calculation and guess to the king's age.

"Yes, yes, that's old news," the brown cat said tiredly, waving one paw. "A lot of our nobles spend their time in the gardens, so I'd better lead you there first."

"Will Haru be down there?" Muta asked urgently, making the brown cat choke.

"_Please_! She _is _a queen, so use her title!" Natoru hissed, looking around to make sure that no one had overheard the fat cat's lapse in propriety. His tone was more worried than angry, but the change of attitude was definitely noticeable. "And no, she won't be down there. She's visiting her mother in the Human Kingdom right now."

"Pray, when will she be back?" Baron asked, more than a little intrigued by what could have happened, for a human to become a member of the royal cat family. The guide sighed.

"The day after tomorrow. But remember, the king doesn't want her to find out about the death threat." Natoru started chuckling darkly, as he came out of the castle, and towards a large garden, overflowing with flowers and passing courtiers.

"You gonna use the watch?" Muta whispered. Baron nodded and reached into his pocket, feeling the familiar pocket watch. The cover over the face was richly engraved, with swirls circling around a lustrous pearl, a true example of excellent workmanship. Expertly, he touched the knob at the top, and started cranking it. It wouldn't affect the time on the clock face, but it would certainly do a few other things.

_-guess I can't really blame the king for not wanting the queen to find out about the death threat. Knowing her, she'd even volunteer to do the job. Ugh, I am so glad she's gone for a few more days. That lady's scary._

Baron bit back a chuckle, amused at Natoru's private thoughts. Well, time to find out just who was considering taking action against the king.

This wasn't as easy as it sounded. The king was apparently not held in high regard by anyone, at least underneath the surface.

_It serves him right, the old coot._

_I bet it'll be the queen that kills him. She certainly has enough incentive._

_I wonder if I can get anyone foolish enough to bet me five trout that the crown prince will do it._

_**This**__ is the chance I've been waiting for! As soon as Yami gets back with his brothers, we can start discussing how to kill the king._

'_Jackpot.' _Baron smiled grimly, slowing down in his step with a nod to Muta telling him to keep Natoru busy. Now free of the guide, Baron pressed himself against the hedge, so he could hear better.

_Come on! I've been waiting eight years for this day! Why won't Yami hurry back?! If we're going to kill the king, it has to be done before the queen returns!_

A dreamy sigh echoed through the Cat Creation's mind, and on the other side of the hedge.

_Oh, Haru… I know how you hate being bound to that old creep. But after I dispatch him for you, you will certainly be grateful for what I've done, and want to get to know me better. And then, my beautiful queen, __**you will be mine**__! Prince Lune can __**have**__ the kingdom. You, my love, are the real prize._

Baron cocked his head. So, the would-be assassin was smitten with the Cat Queen. The Creation turned away from the tall hedge, deep in thought. But why would the murder need to happen before she returned? If it was so obvious that she hated her husband, wouldn't she like to see his demise?

The mystery cat's thoughts about the mysterious queen got dirtier and dirtier as he waited on the other side of the hedge, making the tawny feline shudder in revulsion.

'_Something tells me that the queen wouldn't care much for this suitor, even if she was available. Oh well, I gave my word to help the king anyway.'_

He got out a small notepad and uncapped a small pen. All he needed now were names. The Cat Creation scrawled 'Yami' in as light footsteps approached.

"Where have you been?" the first cat hissed quietly, obviously irritated.

"I am so sorry, Duke Nashi. Nami here wanted to finish his nap first."

Baron swiftly wrote in the two new names.

"Nap on your own time. Hui, do you have it?"

"Right here, my lord."

Baron heard something uncap as he wrote in the newest name. Duke Nashi started gloating disgustingly.

"Beautiful. Just perfect. Remember, only three drops in his goblet tonight. That will make it look like a wasting sickness, and none of the doctors will be able to figure out what it is in time to save him."

"Yes, Master," three voices said softly in unison, confirming for Baron that he hadn't left out any names in his little list.

"You may go," the duke said firmly as the Cat Creation pocketed the list.

'_I doubt it's really that simple. I'm fairly sure that the seer had mentioned actual bloodshed, not a silent poisoning. How many plots are there to kill the king? Why does everyone hold him in such low regard?'_

Without warning, something hit him in the back of the head, and knocked his top hat to the ground. Baron winced, and turned around, one hand to the back of his head. He looked down at the ground to see a bright red ball bouncing away from him. A little bemused, he walked toward it and picked it up while setting his hat on its proper perch.

"I'll get it," a little voice piped as it rounded around the corner. Baron looked over, to see an elegant little gray kitten, with mismatched eyes of fire and ice.

Just like the king.

The kitten's eyes widened at seeing the stranger straighten to his full height, and smile warmly while holding the toy in one hand.

"Would this happen to be _your_ ball?" he asked.

_Wow, he's really tall. I've never seen him before. _"Yes, sir. Can I have it back, please?"

Thrilled that good manners hadn't been completely forgotten after all, Baron smiled warmly, and walked forward a little, holding the toy out so that she could get it. As her little paw touched the ball, she suddenly gasped. Her next sentence was echoed both in her mind, and in her voice.

"Hey! You have hands just like Nana's!"

The Creation twitched, not quite expecting that announcement.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked as the little kitten grabbed the ball, and began pulling insistently on his hand.

"You've got hands too! I thought Nana was the only cat with hands. Mommy, Daddy, Haruhi! Come see this!"

'_Does she mean the queen?' _ More than a little confused, Baron allowed the delicate princess to drag him around the wall that had been between them.

A handsome tomcat with the same fur as his daughter was sitting on a soft blanket, as well as a lovely white cat that the Cat Creation could only assume was the princess, as well as a young lad that was as pale as his mother. They all looked up at him in shock as the tiny princess pulled him closer.

"See, Mommy? He's got hands like Nana! And his arms and legs are long like hers, too."

"Yes, dear. I can see that," the white cat said, her sky-blue eyes full of wonder. "Why don't you let go of him so that he can introduce himself?"

A little bashful, the kitten let go of his hand. Baron clenched the hand, suddenly finding it to be a little too empty for his liking. He had never spent much time with small children, or any children, except for the ten years he was owned by a young German prince. But that didn't really count, since the boy hadn't had much interest in him, and a barrier of glass had been between them at all times, thank heaven. The boy had been very fond of playing rough with anything he could get his hands on.

But for some reason, he didn't mind the little princess holding his hand at all.

Baron held his silk hat to his heart, and bowed low for what he was certain was the next two generations of the royal family.

"I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, the proprietor of the Cat Bureau. Pray, what's this about her Nana looking like me?"


	5. Tragedy

**Chapter Five: Tragedy**

The crown prince managed to get his breath back and laughed a little darkly, his mismatched eyes just as moody.

"When my father married my step-mother, he couldn't decide if he liked her better as a human or a cat, so he changed her to something in between, similar to what you look like."

"Except Nana has longer head fur," his son continued, his mismatched eyes wide with shock.

Baron frowned, since his watch had apparently winded down.

"Mind if I talk with you a bit? There seems to be more going on than just an assassination threat," the Cat Creation said calmly while taking out his watch and winding it up again.

The crown prince's eyes flashed again.

"Sure, sit down." He patted the fairly large blanket as his tiny daughter climbed onto his lap. "There's plenty of room. Just wondering, but how did my father contact you?"

"Cat portal," Baron said, neatly sitting himself on the opposite side of the blanket. "He had apparently wished to hire me years before, but then forgot about it until recently."

_I can't believe it. On top of everything else, he really __**did**__ know how to contact the Cat Bureau. I can't wait until Haru gets back. _"Well, what would you like to know?" the crown prince asked out loud.

"Well, for starters, why does everyone around here hate the king? As far as I've been able to tell, only the advisors have any true affection for him."

"It's because Grandfather's a very bad cat," the little white prince piped up. His mother shushed him.

"Haruhi, why don't you take your sister and play by that fountain over there for a while?"

"But we want to say bad stuff about Grandfather, too," the tiny princess protested as her father gently but firmly pushed her off his lap.

"Go play, Harumi. We'll call you when it's time for a nap."

"I hate naps," the prince muttered under his breath while his sister tossed the red ball at him. He caught it easily and tossed it back as she came forward.

"Careful this time! Don't toss it over the hedge again!" the white princess called out to her children. _They might hit someone with that thing if they aren't careful._

"Too late," Baron muttered, feeling the back of his head. The mother looked sharply at him.

"Excuse me?"

Baron jerked, and chuckled a little.

"That ball hit me on the head, so I'm hoping they'll be more careful this time."

"Our thoughts exactly. Sorry about that."

Baron waved off the elder princess's concern.

"It was nothing. Now, perhaps you could explain why the king is so terrible?"

Lune sighed.

_It's not his fault that he didn't know. There's no point in taking it out on him, and Haru would scold me for it anyway. _"Well, my son actually nailed it pretty well. My father is a very bad cat. He's crazy and selfish, which makes for a bad combination for a ruler." Thoughtfully, he rubbed his left leg. "I won't deny it. Few things would give me more pleasure than for him to retire from politics, by abdication or death. I'm not terribly picky."

Baron cocked his head.

"Why don't you give me specifics? Why do you hold him in such low regard?"

The princess sighed.

"Have you learned much about the queen?"

"Only that she's young enough to be his granddaughter and that she's apparently a half-cat like me. The king didn't really want to go into details about her, but Natoru mentioned that she was once a human."

The crown prince laughed darkly.

"Of course Father didn't say much about her. He doesn't want to admit that there's a decent possibility that she could be the one to kill him."

"The king _did _express some skepticism in that regard. But why would she want to kill him?" the tawny cat persisted.

"She doesn't. I mean, if she had it in her to kill him, she'd have done it possibly before they got married. Haru's willing to wait for him to die a natural death so that we don't get haunted by his spirit or whatever." _And she made __**me**__ promise not to kill him unless he tries to hurt someone again. Blast it! I wish she was home so I could ask her if I can kill him for her yet, _the crown prince thought darkly.

Baron cocked his head again.

"I think you're avoiding the question. Why does your step-mother hate your father?"

The princess sighed again.

"Let's see. First, he drowns her in gifts that she hated to thank her for saving my husband's life. Then, he sends an idiot to see if she was interested in marrying my Lune…" she patted her husband's paw, "… He believed the idiot instead of Haru after she was forcefully taken to the Cat Kingdom. Then she refused first Lune's paw in marriage, and his own after Lune proposed to me. Since she didn't want anything to do with him, the king had to hold a knife to her mother's throat until she said 'I do'."

She turned to her husband.

"Did I leave out anything?"

"No," Lune said sadly. "I think you hit everything, Yuki. Well, did that answer your question, my lord?"

Baron's eyes were wide with shock, and his mouth was open a little. The watch in his pocket was telling him very clearly that every word spoken had been true. Slowly, his eyes trailed up to the higher walls of the castle.

"Didn't anyone try to stop him?" Baron asked softly. Lune grimaced, and shakily got to his hind paws with his wife's help. Now that he was standing, Baron could see where his left leg wasn't quite aligned with the other, made even more apparent as his wife retrieved a finely carved cane from the blanket for her beloved husband so he could lean on it.

Prince Lune smiled grimly, gripping the third leg.

"Does this answer your question?" he asked a little stiffly. "I may have failed, but at least I wasn't afraid to try. For that reason alone, I earned Haru's respect. And she has ours." He raised one paw in warning.

"I realize that as things stand, you are my father's agent. Chances are we're going to be on opposite sides of this little feud over my father's life. But know this: if you hurt my step-mother in any way, shape, or form, I _will _kill you without hesitation. She's been hurt enough for several lifetimes, and frankly, so have the rest of us." With that, the crown prince nodded stiffly, and began walking away with his wife.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Gikkingen."

Baron watched them go, more than a little shocked that so much tragedy centered around the mysterious queen, whom he still had not met. Slowly, he looked down as he took out the list of conspirators.

"Am I all that certain I want to stop this?" he whispered to himself.


	6. Heart's Cry

**Chapter Six: Heart's Cry**

Eventually, Baron found Muta and Natoru, just before the brown cat led them to some comfortable rooms. The foolish guide hadn't even noticed that the Cat Creation had ever left.

Completely stunned, Baron sank into a comfortable chair as his dear fat friend sat on the bed and made the legs of it groan in protest. Muta looked just as stunned as Baron felt.

"All this time… If I had known Chicky had been taken here, I'd have… done _something_! Anything!"

The Cat Creation looked at him.

"Muta… how did you know this Haru? How come you never mentioned her, if she was so important to you?"

"You asked me not to, remember? You don't like hearing about where I get my other meals." The fat white cat sighed. "About eight years ago, she was my Thursday night meal ticket. She could make the best specialty tuna sandwiches, but that wasn't the only reason why I liked her. Haru was…" He struggled to find the right words.

"Well, she's a sweetheart. I never spoke to her, but she'd talk to me all the time, about anything and everything. She wasn't exactly the happiest girl in the world back then, but compared to what she probably is now, she was ecstatic. Then one day, she disappeared without a trace. No one knew what happened to her." He held his head between his paws as tears of shame actually fled down his furry cheeks.

"We could have _helped _her, Baron! She didn't have to lose everything and become the Cat Queen!"

Baron held one hand to his chin, and gripped the list with the other. He thought about what the prince had told him.

"I've found three separate plots to kill the king before the queen returns, but after hearing that he had blackmailed a young girl into marrying him, I'm not all that sure that we _should _protect him. It sounds like this is something that the king had coming for a long time."

"I know _I _feel like pounding him," the fat cat growled, shredding a blanket between his paws.

But Baron's attention was on the silver watch that he had taken out of his pocket. Wordlessly, he took out a handkerchief and started polishing the cherished gift.

Just who was this queen, really? What kind of girl _wouldn't _want a husband that bad killed? Why would she make an effort to preserve his life, if he had stolen hers away without a care? The crown prince's behavior had suggested that the queen hadn't fallen in love with her husband since marrying him, so what was her motive?

"In any case, I would dearly like to hear what this young queen has to say. I think we should keep her husband alive for that long, at least."

Muta grumbled a little.

"All right, I won't touch him until then."

Baron nodded and pocketed the watch once more.

"So now we uncover the plots and wait for this Haru to come back from visiting her mother."

A very sad smile crawled upon Muta's furry lips.

"Hey, Baron? I've got news for you."

"Oh? What?"

"She's not visiting her mother."

Baron scoffed.

"You've been out of touch with her for eight years, and you suddenly know where she is?"

"No, but I do know that she's not visiting her mother."

The orange and cream cat sighed.

"And what makes you so certain of that, Muta?"

"Her mother's dead. She committed suicide a week after Haru disappeared."

ooOoo

The night air was nice and cool, exactly what Haru was hoping for. She smiled sadly as she weeded the flowers, ignoring how the needle-like plants pricked her tender hands. She wore gloves all the time anyway, and her husband was too much of a moron to pay attention to her hands specifically.

She suppressed an involuntary shudder as she made the usual trip to the water fountain. The brown half-cat looked up at the imposing structure, and sighed sadly. Shouldering the little bag, the Cat Queen carefully climbed up the thing in order to attempt filling her water bottle while holding down the nozzle, a very tricky process even when she didn't get soaked from head to toe. She managed to quench her thirst while retrieving the water for the flowers.

Suddenly, she heard someone coming. With a fearful heart, she capped the bottle and jumped down before she was seen, hiding in the hollow at the base of the fountain, where the shadows would protect her from curious eyes.

"Did you hear that, Machida?"

Haru bit back a gasp as her old crush walked around the corner… with her old best friend. Hiromi.

The tall young man looked around, his dark eyes defensive at first, but then relaxed. Haru pressed herself into the dark shadows, praying that, as usual, he wouldn't see her as her heart pounded painfully in her chest.

"Don't worry, Hiromi. No one's here, see?"

The light brunette looked around and laughed at herself.

"Well, you have to admit that this place is creepy at night."

"No, not really. For some reason, cemeteries have always been peaceful, at least for me. Besides, I wanted to show you something."

The couple walked past the water fountain and towards the stones protruding from the ground. Although she knew that she was playing with fire, Haru crawled out of her hiding spot and started following them, always at least five tombstones away, grateful that she had chosen dark clothing for her visit.

But… since when has Hiromi been dating Machida? The slim half-cat bit back a sudden sob, since her lingering love for the human boy no longer mattered.

With some amazement on the half-cat's part, they headed straight for her flowers. Hiromi gasped softly at the modest carpet over the glossy grass.

"Machida! Have _you _been the one doing this?"

"What, the flowers? I was about to ask _you _the same thing." He sighed, and rubbed the grave marker warmly. "At least someone cared enough about her to do it. Do… you remember the day it was put here?"

"It's not exactly the kind of thing that can be forgotten, Machida. Why did you bring me here?"

"Well, it just seemed like the most appropriate place to be tonight. I mean… this _is_ where I first asked you out, after all."

Hiromi nodded, and gripped his arm harder, rubbing her chin on his broad shoulder as Haru struggled to stifle her sorrowful cries.

"I still feel a little guilty about seeing you like this. I mean… _Haru _liked you first, and she could still be out there, you know," Hiromi said, brushing away a few tears before they could travel down her cheeks.

"I know, but… I don't think she's coming back." Machida brushed his fingers through her hair lovingly. "Yes, I liked her first, and because I waited too long to say so, I lost her before I could have her."

Haru slapped one hand over her mouth in shock.

'_He… he liked me back?'_

"But I'm not going to make the same mistake with you, Hiromi. I remember Haru very well. I think she'd want us to be happy, even if she never comes back. I guess… I'm trying to ask you to marry me."

Haru looked away and collapsed against the tombstone that was between her and the couple, and curled up into as tight a ball as she could manage. She could hear Hiromi crying, but unlike herself, her friend's tears were of joy.

"On one condition, Machida. Our first daughter needs to be named Haru."

"I was planning on that anyway." With that, he swept the girl into his arms and kissed her, oh-so-tenderly. Like he was handling the finest china, he slipped a delicate ring onto her finger, with a diamond that sparkled in the moonlight.

Showing an extraordinary amount of willpower, Haru managed to keep quiet just long enough for the couple to leave. As soon as she heard the car drive away from the cemetery, she burst out of her hiding place, and threw herself onto the flowers she had so lovingly planted, sobbing uncontrollably. In her long head fur was a gem that also glittered in the moonlight, but unlike the one that now graced her best friend's finger, this one spoke coldly of wealth, and the shadow of a third eye was within the purple depths. Nothing would have pleased the Cat Queen more than to tear off the gem and to toss it into a river, but unfortunately, she was stuck with the stupid thing until she was happily widowed.

At the head of the little flower garden, was a tombstone reading 'Naoko Yoshioka'.

'_Oh, Mom! Why did you have to go and leave me alone?!'_


	7. The Cat Queen

**Chapter Seven: The Cat Queen**

Baron idly played with the fine silver chain on his pocket watch as the king periodically sat in his impressive throne (which had a notable vacancy in the slightly smaller throne next to it) and paced the throne room impatiently, his eyes wide and nervous.

"She'll be here, she promised. She'll come back, she never breaks her word," he kept muttering to himself, longing desperately for his beautiful wife's companionship. Muta, usually grumpy, was now almost volcanic at being forced to stay in the same room as the ruler, just so he could see his old friend as soon as possible.

The prince and princess were waiting nearby in some less ornate chairs, a kitten on each of their laps.

"Mommy, has Nana ever been on time for anything?" Princess Harumi asked, hugging a pink stuffed cat doll close. Her mother laughed softly.

"She's on time when there's a life on the line, but I don't know about any other event."

"Then she should have been here three hours ago," the king grumbled angrily, sitting in his throne again, pouting like a spoiled child. There was no telling just how long he had to live, even without the death threat.

Baron cocked his head, a little surprised to hear the princess state her step-mother-in-law's tardiness like she saved lives every day. Well, he was certainly looking forward to meeting this mysterious queen.

That is, if she ever showed her face.

After ten more minutes, a blue circle of light appeared next to the throne, and grew until it was taller than either of the fancy chairs. The king stood up from his throne with relief.

"It's about time, Haru!"

Baron reached into his pocket to start winding the watch, but found the knob at the top to be already turning without his help, at a faster pace than he had ever done with it. He stole a look down at his pocket, more than a little confused since it had never done that before, and he had owned the watch for years.

Deciding that it was a mystery that could wait until later, he looked up at the portal again, just in time to see a figure step through it.

His eyes widened.

His jaw dropped shamelessly.

The fact that the Cat Queen had human features, he had been warned about. The fact that her head fur was longer than the rest of it was, hardly seemed to matter when he was first told of it. And finally, he was completely expecting the girl to be beautiful, if a king thrice her age was willing to blackmail her into marrying him, and then again to unwittingly convince no less than five noblemen to literally kill for the chance to be with her.

And yet… for some strange reason, he was still caught completely off-guard by the young queen.

She was slim, almost not there at all. Every part of her looked like it had been specially carved by a master, right down to her delicate wrists and fingers. Her face was covered with light tan fur that might have mimicked her skin color as a human or fine toffee. Her long head fur, which was pulled back into a high pony tail and still reached past her tiny waist, was a deep rich milk chocolate color. Natoru had said that her eyes were the same shade, but the large and rounded orbs were more of a rich caramel that almost seemed to swirl around with color.

Her eyes… he had never seen that look up close before. Like she wanted nothing more than to just disappear, and never be heard from again by anyone.

Even her face was strange. Yes, even that was lost between the boundaries of cat and human, but her beauty was simpler than he was expecting. It wasn't a bad thing, but he had been expecting something like a… a girl that knew that she was very attractive, and wasn't afraid to use her beauty to get what she wanted. The queen didn't seem like the type to even _care_ if she was pretty.

But the queen was dressed a bit plainer than one would have expected of someone in her status, in a very simple black dress that covered her from throat to wrists to neatly shod feet. Even her slim hands were covered by dark gloves. On her brow was a smaller version of the Cat King's crown, a simple purple gem that contained a sort of third eye that looked just as sad as her real ones.

His watch finally stopped winding itself and began ticking as the delicate girl stepped out of the portal while it closed behind her.

_All right, you old creep. Get it over with._

The Cat King swept her into his arms, and kissed her soundly, making the Bureau agents (and everyone else in the room) want to start gagging. Somehow, the Cat Creation managed to keep his eyes on the queen. Even from over here, he could tell that although the king was kissing her with everything he had, her arms stayed at her side and her lips didn't budge a hair on their own.

The kiss was completely one-sided.

Baron blinked a few times, trying to make the fact register in his mind that the two were a married couple. But they were such an odd pair, the king was almost twice his wife's height, and looked on the scruffy crazy side. But the young brunette he could easily believe to be a royal, since she was small, neat, and beautiful.

Seeing the two together strongly reminded the Cat Creation of Beauty and the Beast, except that the beauty clearly had no feelings for her beast.

_Come on, already. Finish up so I can go hug Lune and Yuki, you stinking child molester._

The king, however, took his sweet time ending the strange kiss and held her close when it was finally over, smiling happily.

"I missed you so much, Sweetie Pie!"

_Really? Because I didn't miss you in the least. Now let go so I can greet what's left of my __**real**__ family._

With a blank face, the queen pointedly pinched her husband's paw just enough so that he would loosen his hold so she could slip out of his arms. She firmly turned her back on her husband and held out her arms toward her 'step-grandkittens'.

Haruhi and Harumi hopped out of their parents' laps so that they could pounce on their 'grandmother' as she walked toward them.

"NANA!" they sang in unison, purring happily as the cat-woman calmly eased one kitten onto each of her hips and nuzzled their foreheads before kissing them softly, oh so softly.

_How are my favorite trouble-makers?_ She mentally asked them fondly, her glorious sad eyes taking on a warm glow. _Now you two, I __**did **__miss._ The Cat Queen squeezed them happily as her husband pouted behind the throne.

After she had hugged the kittens for a full moment, she walked forward enough to embrace the crown prince and his wife, as they still sat.

"We sure missed you, Haru," Lune said softly.

_Both of you, too. I missed you guys so much._

"Did you enjoy your trip?" Yuki asked, taking back her son from around Haru's neck.

With a flash, Baron saw a human couple, kissing tenderly in the moonlight as a stone sparkled on the girl's finger. His heart felt like a raging beast was tearing it apart sinew by sinew, although he somehow knew that it wasn't _his_ pain. Blinking, he realized that he had been the only one to see the flash, since everyone else in the room was still looking at the delicate brunette. The queen smiled stiffly, and nodded.

_Actually, it made me want to scream my head off in frustration and cut out my heart with a dull spoon just to make the pain stop. But if I told them that, the king might go back on the contract I tricked him into signing and not let me visit Mom's grave anymore. And I couldn't bear losing that precious alone time._

Baron cocked his head. So **that** was what she did on these visits. But why wouldn't she talk to anyone? Surely the girl could speak.

That flash. It must have been one of her memories. But why would a kissing human couple make her feel such sorrow? Were they close to her or something? The watch had never before allowed him to see into the thoughts of others, only to hear. Was it broken?

He could just barely see Lune whisper something in her ear.

_Good news, huh? It better be, after what I saw back in my world. I sure could use some good news right about now._

Smiling sadly, the Cat Queen straightened as the prince got to his feet and made to walk out of the room. Without warning, her husband grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her close.

_Come on. Let go already. I want to be with Lune and Yuki. _The queen grimaced, since she was still cradling Princess Harumi in her arms as the king purred like a broken lawnmower while taking out the black ribbon that held her long chocolate brown hair in place.

"I thought I told you that I like your hair down." He finished pulling the ribbon out, making the soft strands fall over her shoulders and down her back, quite nearly to her knees in a manner reminiscent of a gentle waterfall. The queen closed her eyes, and did some breathing exercises.

_And of course, it's all about what YOU want, isn't it? Just because __**I **__like my hair up doesn't mean that I get to pull it up. It's only attached to __**my**__ head, why should I have a say in how it gets styled? _

_Am I dead yet?_

Baron's heart pained again, but this time he was certain that the ache was his own. The beaten tone to her mental voice that had such a tired resignation to it… no husband should _ever_ make his wife sound like that.

Next to him, Muta started growling angrily as the king kept hugging his wife, blissfully oblivious to the obvious disdain that she held for him. A small flicker came into the queen's eyes at the strange sound, and she looked over at the two Cat Bureau agents curiously. Muta stopped growling, terrified that she would, or wouldn't, recognize him.

Her caramel eyes slowly came to life as her strange eyebrows shot up into her bangs.

Her mouth fell open a little.

_No… way! It's that fat cat I used to feed! Was this the good news Lune was talking about? Is he here to visit me? He recognizes me. I can see it in his eyes. I bet this was the last place he'd ever expect to find me. I guess this means I'll finally know what name he goes by._

Baron stiffened slightly as her brown gaze trailed over to him. Her eyebrows came down a little, and her eyes narrowed a bit, like she recognized him from somewhere. She looked so confused.

_Who on earth is that guy? Why… why does he have a body like mine? Why does he look so much like…_


	8. Good and Bad News

**Chapter Eight: Good and Bad News**

Sighing a bit, Haru poked her husband in the belly. He opened his blue eye at her.

"Yes, Pumpkin Pie?"

'_Would you like to introduce me to the newcomers,' _she gestured to the two strange cats, _'or should I save time and ask Harumi?'_

The tiny gray kitten watched her grandmother's gloved hand, being used to the half-cat's silent way of speaking.

"That's the Cat Bureau, Nana. The really fat one's Mr. Muta, and the skinny one is… is…" she pulled a face and looked over. "I'm sorry, Mr. Baron, but I forgot your full name again."

The orange and cream cat chuckled warmly and held his top hat to his heart.

"Baron Humbert von Gikkingen at your service."

Haru nodded politely at him, a bit stunned.

'_So… that's the figurine with a soul?' _She tilted her head a bit, studying the Creation she had heard about for years._ 'He looks a lot more dashing than I expected him to.'_

Without reason, the Cat Creation blinked, and placed his silk hat on top of his head. Did she spy a blush on his cheeks? It was a bit harder to tell such things here, with fur in the way. Besides, why would he blush at nothing?

With a heavy heart, she looked at the fatter feline again, who looked extremely nervous. She could tell that he knew her story, and she had to face it. How could he be in this castle and _not _find out about it?

'_On top of everything else, I was even friends with a Cat Bureau agent? Well, it matches the rest of my luck: rotten.' _She sighed tiredly and pinched one of her husband's arms so that he would let go of her. She stepped firmly out of his embrace, gave a polite curtsy to the Bureau agents, and followed Lune and Yuki out of the room.

'_I don't even want to know why the king summoned them. But I guess I should be nice. I mean, how were they supposed to help me if I couldn't contact them?' _She sighed tiredly, getting Lune to look at her as he limped along with his cane.

"All right, Haru. How did the visit really go? You seem more distressed than usual."

She held one finger to her lips and tilted her chin to say that she wanted to get to a secure place to talk to him. She didn't want word of this to get back to the king. His ego was big enough without provocation, and he'd probably try to use this as another ploy to get her to lean on him.

Not that she ever would. When a fawn feels lonely, it usually doesn't cuddle up to a wolf. Unless it was mentally deprived.

Finally, they entered her personal study. Haru switched Harumi from one hip to the other, so that she could run her fingers over the bolts of cloth that lined the walls.

She hadn't been all that interested in making quilts when she was a human, but now it seemed like one of the few ways to keep her mother's memory alive in her heart.

Lune sank into one of the big couches in the middle of the room with relief, pulling his son onto his lap. Yuki pointedly grabbed the notepad and pen lying on a messy desk and handed them to Haru. Harumi, used to the routine, allowed her mother to pick her up and sit across from her 'grandmother' so she could write. Lune and Yuki had become quite proficient at reading Human Japanese, but Haru decided to write her little revelation in Standard Cat.

_Last night, I got a front-seat-view of my old crush proposing to my old best friend, so don't be surprised if I'm out of sorts for the next few days._

She handed the pad to Yuki, who shared it with her husband. As they read over her note, she beckoned for Haruhi to sit on her lap. He did so gladly, hopping on her like she was a trampoline. She wrapped both arms around him, and squeezed softly.

When his parents looked up from the note, she became grateful that she didn't mention that her crush had crushed on her, too. But would it have made a difference, if she had stayed? Would her friendship with Hiromi just have been torn apart as Machida struggled with his own feelings?

Maybe it really was for the better that she had disappeared.

"Oh, Haru… that's terrible." Yuki walked over enough to squeeze her friend deeply. The brunette soaked in both of the white cats' warmth, willing it to be able to take the pain away.

'_How long have I been in a constant state of pain, years or centuries? It feels like even longer.'_

Lune started growling.

"That does it! That is enough! Haru, I've got some news that might make you smile."

'_After what I saw last night? Must be pretty good.' _She nodded, giving him her full attention. The crown prince smiled grimly.

"While you were gone, a seer came to court. He said in absolute terms that my father is going to be killed soon by a member of his own family."

Haru's eyebrows shot up. It didn't make the pain go away, but it definitely distracted her from it.

"_Are you sure?" _she mouthed soundlessly. Her dear friend nodded, and grimaced as he actually got down on both knees. Haru stood up to help him back into his seat as his wife did the same, both knowing how much the action must have pained him.

"_Please,_ Haru. Let me kill him for you. He's put you through so much grief, and he fully deserves a taste of his own medicine. He should know what it feels like to have everything he's ever cared about torn from him without hope of reclamation. I can even take down the Cat Bureau if they interfere, if you'll let me. Haru… I want my kittens to know what your voice sounds like. I miss hearing you talk. Shoot, I even miss hearing you scream."

A sad ironic smile played upon the queen's lips as she firmly eased her step-son into the seat again. Harumi pulled on her long black skirt, also sad.

"Please, Nana? I want to see your pretty smile more, and it goes away every time Grandfather walks into the room."

Haru looked at her younger namesake, her heart melting. Going to her knees, she wrapped the little kitten up in her arms.

'_Oh, you sweet, sweet girl.' _She held Harumi close, thinking about the eighth anniversary that was coming up quickly. The terrible years of being the Cat Queen had left a deep scar on her heart, one that she honestly expected to bear for the rest of her miserable life. Should she let Lune do the deed? He still considered his limp to be a badge of honor, and to be honest, so did she and his family. The Cat Queen looked at the bad leg, remembering clearly the day he had gotten it. Slowly, she looked up at his face.

There were physical traces of his father, to be sure, but the soul couldn't be more different.

For one, she had actually felt Lune's heartbeat.

She sighed, and beckoned for the notepad. Yuki eagerly gave it to her, along with the familiar pen. As she usually did when she wrote, she said the words in her mind.

_As much as I would love to be widowed as soon as possible, I still refuse to let anyone shed blood on my account, enough has been spilled as it is. If a member of our family __**is **__supposed to kill the king, then I pray, as I always had, that it will be in self-defense or in defense of another. I had hoped that he would die a natural death, so that we don't begin the cycle of bloodshed again, but we should only attack him if he attacks first. There's little point to killing a monster if you become one in the process. And I'd rather it wasn't you or Yuki, Lune. There will probably be consequences to killing a monarch, and you need to think about your kittens. I can raise them if called to, but I'd prefer if you two did it, and so would they._

_Don't worry about me. I'll be okay._

Hoping that would get her point across, she passed it to Yuki, who once again shared the message with her husband. Their darling children were dancing around with bright eyes.

"Well, Daddy? Is she going to let you do it?"

Lune reached the end of the message and looked down in shame. As tears began to caress his dark cheeks, the same flowed down his wife's.

Haru stood up, and walked over in order to hug them. They clung to her as they sobbed, as if she really was their mother.

Which, in a very peculiar way, she was.

On the other side of the curtain, Baron was leaning against the wall, with one hand to his mouth. He hadn't cried once in seventeen years, but now tears shamelessly flowed down his cheeks, as he gripped the silver watch with one hand.

'_Haru… I think I understand, now, why you are so __**admired**__ by everyone.'_


	9. Open For Punishment

**Chapter Nine: Open for Punishment**

Haru sighed as she speedily walked down the hallways of the palace. She had tried to run, the first few months that she started caring if she was late for something here, but there was enough chaos around without adding a speed demon-queen that everyone was too afraid to scold. It didn't matter if the king wanted her to be more careful. The servants had enough on their separate duties without adding her accidents to the impressive lists.

Her buttercup-yellow dress flowed gracefully behind her. A simple one, since the king only allowed her to dress in black while visiting her mother's grave. And it had taken a carefully-worded contract to trick him into letting her dress in a simpler style when she didn't have to attend a royal function. The crown, unfortunately, never left her brow, despite her attempts to remove the blasted thing.

She came up to her destination, and took a second to catch her breath. Calmly, she pulled the curtain aside and walked within.

Yosho looked at her from the wall, and then at his watch.

"I see you're seven minutes late as usual, your Majesty. Well, let's line up the latest on death row, shall we?"

'_Oh, ha ha. Stop, my sides are splitting,' _she thought ironically as he gestured to the latest teachers to try her. One or two of them looked fairly confident, but the rest seemed a little nervous. The queen sighed tiredly.

'_Will you clowns knock it off? I'm not the one forcing you to do this.' _She nodded at Yosho, who got behind his piano and sat down. He looked at the list grimly.

"First one for today is Count Hashil."

She looked at the familiar tan cat, as he nervously approached her. His mouth flapped a bit, and he turned a little red.

"M-may I, your Majesty?" he asked, holding out a paw to her. Feeling the familiar sense of dread, she smiled her usual guarded smile, and placed her hand in his paw. He led her to the middle of the ballroom, and nervously looked over at the pianist, swallowing a bit.

"A… a waltz, if you could?"

Yosho smiled, nodded, and started something suitably soft. The count looked at the queen again, now visibly shaking.

"T-the box step is fairly easy, your Majesty." He took a few steps away and restrained himself from taking more. Very deliberately, he moved his feet in time to the music. Front, right, back, left, and again. But where he put his steps, made it look more like two triangles meshed together.

"Like that, your Majesty."

She nodded tiredly, having seen the box step many, many times. The count smiled nervously, and stepped closer to the queen again. Hesitantly, like he was trying to catch a cobra, he took her by the hand and put his other paw on her waist.

"I'm not being disrespectful, your Majesty," he stammered, turning a little red. She nodded again, feeling a bit irritated.

'_Let's just get this over with.'_

ooOoo

Approximately three minutes later, Haru jumped away from her partner, as he lay on the ballroom floor, bawling his head off while clutching his right leg. Her shoulders sagged as she made the usual whistle.

Two male nurses came in with a stretcher from one of the curtain entrances, and very carefully loaded the latest victim onto the transportation. One of the nurses laughed a little while he and his friend picked the stretcher back up.

"Can you wait five minutes before calling us again, Majesty? It takes a while to travel from here to the medical wing."

'_Yes, yes, I know that. I'll try,' _she promised mentally, although she was well aware that they couldn't hear her thoughts. It'd make things a lot easier if they could, but they couldn't.

The next teacher looked even less confident. Despite her promise, it was only two minutes before he bit the dust as well. Three fled, while the last one gave it a shot anyway. He managed to make it to four and a half minutes, an impressive new record in both the Cat _and _Human Kingdoms.

As her latest partner gave another howl, someone billowed through the curtain. Haru looked up, and flushed.

It was the Cat Bureau. Yosho looked up, and the music faltered to a clanging halt.

"Ah! My lord," he stammered fearfully. Haru looked at him in surprise.

'_I thought nothing could shake you, Yosho. Why do you fear the Bureau?'_

The Cat Creation looked from the queen to the pianist, an amused smile on his lips.

"Just out of curiosity, Majesty, is this your way of interrogating murder suspects?"

She flushed darkly, and started shaking her head and hand fast.

'_No, but the king's used my 'meowsy' dancing for punishment more than once!' _

Yosho coughed nervously.

"The king promised a duchy on anyone that can teach the queen how to dance with grace, my lord. The miserable pile on the floor makes for Victim # 495."

Haru glowered miserably at him.

'_Did he have to say that out loud? Besides, the __**only **__guy that could ever make me dance with grace has been dead since I was eight.'_

Baron suddenly looked sharply at her, a little horrified. She blinked and looked around, trying to figure out what was attracting his strange attention. Or was he just incredulous that she really could hurt cats like that?

Muta came forward a little, and nervously bowed low.

"Hey, Chicky."

Haru looked up at him as Yosho started convulsing.

"You can't talk to the queen like that!"

The brunette whistled sharply once, and waved a finger in a 'no no' gesture at the pianist.

'_After all the times I called him Fatso, I think I can let him get away with Chicky.' _She turned to her large friend and smiled warmly while bowing politely. _'It's good seeing you again, and to find out what your name really is.'_

He seemed relieved, enough to relax some.

"I just wanted to say… if we had known about your problem, back then, we'd have helped you. We would have tried, if we could've… I'm sorry for not talking to you when I had the chance."

She looked up at him, not quite expecting the apology.

'_Oh, you big marshmallow. Don't tell me that __**you're **__beating yourself up about my predicament, too.' _Shaking her head warmly, she stepped forward enough to softly hug him around his middle, since there was no way in heck that she was going to be able to wrap her arms _all _the way around him. She could feel his arms hesitantly close around her, and hold her oh so gently.

She wished that she could get hugged like that more often.

'_The only one at fault is the king. There's nothing to forgive, Muta.'_

As Yosho made more strangled sounds, Haru opened one eye enough to notice that the Baron was looking at her as well. But, he looked confused for some reason. He cleared his throat as the queen and his friend regretfully pulled apart, politely commanding her attention.

"We were hoping to ask you a few questions, your Majesty. Do you mind terribly?"

Haru stole one look at the incredulous crushed noblemen and hyperventilating pianist, and shook her head a bit, looking straight at the Cat Creation she had heard so much about.

'_Fire away, I think I've caused enough damage in here for today.'_

The orange and cream cat smiled softly, almost amusedly.

"Would you be kind enough to tell us why you don't speak? Muta was quite clear in saying that you could talk as a human."


	10. An Inquisition

**Chapter Ten: An Inquisition**

Haru's eyes widened as her heart pumped painfully in her chest.

'_I wasn't expecting them to ask me that. I better tell them what I told everyone else. They __**do **__work for the king, after all, and this isn't exactly a thing I want to take chances with.' _Sighing a bit, she pulled a small notepad out of a hidden pocket she had sewn into the dress, and wrote out a short explanation with a small pen.

_I took an oath of silence on my wedding day. I'll talk again when I'm happily widowed._

She passed the little book to Baron, who took it, but only gave it a glance, his expression troubled. Was he a speed reader or something?

"I see. Why did you choose to do that specifically?"

Her heart pounded painfully again, but she took back the notepad.

_Partially to punish the king for forcing me to marry him, and to find out if he'd notice. He's never paid all that much attention to my opinion, anyway, and there are other ways of talking._

Baron took the notepad again, with Muta looking over his shoulder. The tawny feline frowned a bit, concern evident.

"I hope you'll answer this question honestly, but do you know about the seer's little announcement?" he asked. She nodded in confirmation.

"Do you think you'd ever try to kill your husband?"

'_**Try**__? I would have succeeded, if my conscience didn't get in the way.' _She sighed and nodded, thinking about the time her husband was sleeping peacefully as she raised a blade at him. That had been after she got back from her mother's funeral. She could practically see behind her eyelids how brightly the knife had gleamed in the sunlight that came through a nearby window.

'_Heck, I'd have killed __**myself **__by now, if I didn't care about Lune and Yuki's feelings. Not that I didn't try anyway.'_

Baron inhaled sharply as she took the notepad back, and started writing in it again. She wasn't shocked that he was surprised. After all, a scrawny girl like herself wasn't exactly what one would think of, for a royal assassin.

_I can't defend myself worth fish crackers, but I have made it plain to his Majesty that if he ever threatens an innocent life again, I will show him as much mercy as he has shown me. He still doesn't listen to what I say, but at least I gave him fair warning. Were there any other questions?_

She held out the notebook to him, but he didn't take it. He was too busy staring at her, his mouth slightly agape. She frowned a bit, and prodded one of his light gloved hands with the notebook.

'_Why does he keep asking questions if he doesn't bother looking at the answers that I give him?'_

The Cat Creation snapped to attention and took the notepad a little sheepishly.

"My apologies, it's not every day that a wife admits that she might kill her husband."

'_Only if he does something stupid enough to earn it. Which, in my experience, means it's only a matter of time.'_

A polite coughing came from behind the Bureau. They turned, allowing Haru to also see who was there.

Natoru froze up in fear, as he usually did whenever the queen was around. The young queen could almost feel her eyes turn cold and unfriendly.

Although she knew it was ridiculous, a small part of her still thought that if this idiot had given the king her _real _answer the first time it had been presented to her, she might still be a single human.

'_What is it?' _she asked him frostily in her mind. Natoru gulped noticeably.

"H-his Majesty requests her Majesty to come to the hospital wing. Three new doctors just arrived."

If Haru still used her vocal chords, she would have started growling in irritation, shaking her head angrily.

'_I know he's stupid and stubborn, but when is he going to learn this is something he can't command to change?'_

Baron stepped in front of her, when she made to follow the advisor.

"Are you ill, Majesty?" he asked, true concern evident in his green eyes. Haru bit back a laugh, a little touched that he cared enough to ask, and wrote a quick note at the bottom of the page she had written her answers in before ripping it out and handing it to the Cat Creation, since it was a bad idea to keep the king waiting for any reason.

_No, but he believes I am._

Baron gripped the paper as she disappeared through the curtain behind the advisor, his eyes wide.

'_What was __**that **__supposed to mean?' _he wondered.

The forgotten pianist began to stack up his music and tried side-walking to another curtain nervously.

"Wait a moment," Baron said when Yosho was two feet away from the exit. He stopped dead, fear evident. The Cat Creation laughed while folding up the paper and putting it in the inside pocket of his jacket.

"If I were you, I'd cancel my plans to kill the king with the chandelier at his anniversary banquet. It's a bit on the played-out side, and the queen would rather he died a clean death. You _could _accidentally hit her with the thing, you know, and then she would never look at you the way you wish her to."

Yosho's mouth dropped open with fright.

"How…"

"Even if I didn't know about your plot, your actions would have given you away anyway." Baron tipped his hat politely before exiting the room with Muta, who grunted angrily.

"Why did you stop that one too? You _saw_ how miserable the king is making her."

Baron sighed as the folded paper in his pocket crackled slightly with each step.

"The queen wants him to die either a clean death or when he tries to harm an innocent, and I intend to honor her wish. Besides, there's more going on than what meets the surface."

"What do you mean?" his fat friend asked as they entered a more crowded area of the hallway.

"She's hiding something about her voice. I don't know what it is yet, but I intend to find out. Muta, did she ever talk to you about dancing?"

The white feline laughed a little evilly.

"Only when her partners end up in the hospital and she got banished from all dance floors. Why?"

Baron frowned, hoping for something a little more substantial than that. There were only so many ways he could prod the fetching young queen into thinking about certain things before she became suspicious. Who could be this mysterious dancing partner that she had hinted at in her thoughts? Was it the same one that he reminded her of, perhaps?

"Because I think that it could be important. I wish I knew why I know this, but it's critical, somehow."


	11. A Diagnosis

**Chapter Eleven: A Diagnosis**

King Phoebus of the Cat Kingdom paced back and forth, temporarily distracted from the death sentence that had been hanging over his head for nearly a week. He had to keep restraining himself from bursting through the red curtain that separated him from his beautiful wife. He had to keep reminding himself that it would be a bad idea to distract the nice doctors that were trying to fix Haru's problem for her.

Another hour passed before the stunning brunette calmly stepped out of the secluded wing, looking perfect as usual. He swung one arm around her waist and used one paw on her cheek so he could kiss her again, purring in a rusty manner as he pressed her tiny body against his. Once he finished, the king grinned at his queen, brushing a few of her hairs away from that wonderful face.

"Well, Sugar Buns? Did they find the problem?"

She sniffed a little strangely, but then pointed at the curtain invitingly. He took a step forward, but then she wiggled free from his grasp, and started walking away from him again.

"Hey, wait! Don't you want to go in with me?" he called after her. The slim woman looked over one of her shoulders, and shook her head very pointedly before turning a corner.

He sighed, making a mental note to try understanding why his wife was always in a foul mood as he stepped through the red curtain. The three latest doctors were huddled tightly together in a deep conversation, but then looked up in fear as the king sprawled himself across a couch.

"So tell me, babes. Can you restore my wife's voice?"

A red longhair nervously shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, your Majesty. It's the strangest thing we've ever seen. According to our charts of the inside of her throat, it looks like her vocal chords had never been able to work and she had never been able to speak. But, everyone knows, she could scream quite loud before you married her."

The king winced at the memory, and waved his paw around dismissively, since it was only a repeat of what all the other doctors had been saying.

"You three know that wasn't the main reason why I've been ordering doctors to come here. Can you fix my wife's other problem?"

"She doesn't have a problem!" a short black hair insisted. "We've used every trick we know, but there isn't a way around it. The queen is _completely _capable of becoming a mother in the near future. There's something else going wrong in this matter."

The king stood up and kicked a table off its legs angrily.

"Like what?! I've been **very** constant with my attentions to her person! It was only a week until my first wife was expecting, so how come my second wife hasn't given me a single kitten in our almost eight years of marriage?!"

A tortoiseshell held up his clipboard, so that his head would be protected if the king decided to attack him.

"You were a younger cat back then, my king! Have you thought about the possibility that you might be too old to father children on your wife?"

The king roared at the terrible thought.

"I am _not _too old to become a father again! I've still got what it takes! Haru _must _have a kitten of her own, and quick!"

"But why?" the red doctor asked, cowering behind a wall. "You already have an heir, one with heirs of his own."

The king growled at these simpletons. Did they honestly expect him to leave the kingdom to his traitorous son? No, and to leave it to his grandkittens would be just as unacceptable, since they sided with their parents in every possible thing.

No. His heir would be Haru's offspring. She had learned well that he always got what he wanted, and although she was rarely in a good mood, she never denied him his rights as her husband.

What fools. Why in the Cat Kingdom would he keep a rebellious son that didn't know his place as the next ruler when he could start again from scratch with Haru's kittens? Oh, what beautiful offspring they could have, once this little problem was taken care of. And who knew just how long he had to live, before his children decided to kill him?

The black hair was almost glaring at his monarch.

"Okay, let's try a different approach. What if your body's suffering from an imbalance that is making it impossible for the queen to conceive?"

"_Imbalance_?!" the king shrieked. "How dare you call me imbalanced?!"

"DO YOU WANT TO BE A FATHER OR NOT??!!"

The king stopped ranting, not expecting the tortoiseshell to have such a powerful voice. The fairly young doctor was panting heavily.

"Oh, to have the queen's lungs… Majesty, it comes down to a very simple question. Do you want to be a father?"

"Of course!"

"Well, if you want another kitten, you will have to let us check what's going on inside your body. The queen's perfectly fit, and it's only logical to check you as well. If you don't let us see what's going on inside you, then we might as well leave right now, and you can kiss that litter goodbye. We're the last doctors in the Cat Kingdom that have tried to fix the queen, so you're pretty much stuck with us if you want another kitten of your own."

The king flinched.

"The very last?" he asked. The doctors nodded.

"Yep. You'd have to wait three years at the very least, so that all the students learning our craft can finish their education. But they would just tell you the same thing that we have. Take it or leave it, your Majesty."

The king thought about it. How soon did the seer mean by 'soon'? How much time did he really have to work with, before someone tried to kill him? A month? A day?

Or… an hour? He really wanted to leave Haru with something to remember him by, since she was indifferent to all the jewels and clothes that he showered on her (sometimes even tearing the dresses apart so she can use them in her quilts, before Natori suggested that he start just giving her fabric).What a difficult woman, that girl was. A kitten of her very own would more than likely sweeten his wife's disposition, since it had done the same to Princess Yuki.

He sighed angrily and sat on their table.

"All right, let's get this over with."

Knowing that the sentence would be the closest thing they were going to get to an apology, the doctors sighed, and began their work.

First, they looked into his muscle tissue. A bit worn, not exercised enough, about average for a cat the king's age. His blood was also clear, moving sluggishly through his veins.

But, when they started looking at organs, the powders began to misbehave, swirling around in ways the doctors had never seen before. The king grimaced as the pastel clouds around him dissolved into a black ash that stank bitterly of acid. When they tried again with the potions, they turned black almost before leaving the bottles.

When all of the equipment was in ruins, the eldest doctor adjusted his glasses fearfully.

"Your Majesty, I believe we have a diagnosis."

"What is it? Is it bad?" the king asked worriedly.

"Oh my, yes. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for you, your Majesty."

The king stood up and grabbed the black hair by the neck.

"What's wrong?!" he demanded. The cat in his paw began to shake.

"The reactions mean that you will be dead soon."

"I already knew that! Wait, what does spilling my blood have to do with the reactions?"

The tortoiseshell began squeaking the inevitable conclusion.

"The fact of the matter is, your Majesty, there is an unbreakable spell on you. There's a powerful magician out there somewhere that doesn't want you to procreate. The… curse, you could call it, centered in your reproductive organ, but it's spreading to the rest of your body. Whether you like it or not, whether someone tries to kill you or not, your days are numbered. I give it another two weeks before your body will stop functioning altogether, and you will die a slow and painful death."

ooOoo

For those who don't know, a tortoiseshell is a species of cat. Just to avoid confusion.


	12. Always Believe in Yourself

**Chapter Twelve: Always Believe in Yourself**

"… so then Mr. Muta took the _whole _cake, and ate it in three bites, leaving the chef standing there with a little slice." Harumi giggled helplessly as Haru patiently sewed the torn toy on her lap back together, a foolish smile on her own lips.

'_I knew he could pack it away, but that's pretty impressive. I guess I can't expect anything less from him.' _She tied off the knot, bit off the remaining thread with her sharp feline teeth, and gave the pink cat doll she had personally made back to the little princess, who squealed with delight before throwing her arms around the queen's neck and licking her cheek.

"I sure love you, Nana."

Her heart melted once more, as she wrapped the little girl in her arms again.

'_I sure love you too, sweetheart. But please be more careful with it next time.'_

The gray princess licked her cheek once more before hopping off of the bench, and going back to her brother. Sighing a bit, Haru pulled out her crazy patch square, and started embroidering on it again. This square was her interpretation of Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night, so the colors seemed to run together like she had doused it in water or something. As her needle made its familiar dance, she let her thoughts freely wander.

'_Whatever the doctors told his high and mightiness must have really hit him hard. He's been acting stranger than usual, has he finally figured out that he can't force me to bear his child without my consent?' _She laughed breathily, since she still wasn't using her voice, and shook her head at herself.

'_More than likely he's plotting something new. But that's okay, his time will be ending soon enough.'_

Haruhi and Harumi came around the corner again, tossing the familiar ball around. Once, it ricocheted off of a stone statue, heading straight for the queen. On reflex, she caught it and threw it back to the little prince, who beamed at her.

"Thanks, Nana!" he called at her before moving his continuing battle with his little twin sister across the gardens again, with Natoru struggling to keep up, being the babysitter.

Looking down, the slim brunette realized that her hand had moved so fast, that her needle was now sticking through her glove and hand. Sighing tiredly, she pulled out the needle and was rewarded with a trickle of blood.

Pulling off the dainty white glove, she pressed a cream-colored handkerchief to the wound, and waited for the flow to ebb.

'_The king's blood will flow soon as well. Hmm.' _She looked up to the perfect sky, with the golden sunlight caressing her face. She closed her eyes to think.

'_There are going to be some attempts during the anniversary banquet tomorrow, I can feel it in my blood. If I was planning a time to kill the king, that would certainly be my first choice.' _She sighed again, thinking about the eight **long** years she had spent as the Cat Queen. The only thing that had made her predicament bearable was the love Yuki, Lune, and their children showered upon her as often as they could.

'_Love. Love, and children. The only things I ever really wanted, and the only things I can deny his majesty. Even he knows it.' _She fought the urge to break down and cry, certain that someone somewhere was watching her, even if it was just the not-so-secret spies that the king kept around her, to make sure she didn't try anything that he wouldn't approve of.

'_What I would give, if I could erase my memories of him, and what he's been doing to me. Even if I will be widowed soon, I'm going to carry these scars around for the rest of my miserable life.'_

The blood flow had stopped. She took the red-stained handkerchief off of her hand, and looked at it. The scars from weeding her mother's flowers were almost healed now, but they weren't quite what she was looking at.

Folding the handkerchief and placing it next to her quilting, Haru looked at both of her hands, gloved and ungloved. The padding on her palms wasn't half as disturbing as the fur that graced the other sides of her hands. She had never seen hands like these before receiving them, especially since her mother had never allowed her to watch horror movies.

And the rest of her… who could possibly want someone that was lost between worlds like she was? All chances she could have had for a genuine sweetheart to share her life with were lost as soon as the king had seen her for the first time. And who would want to deal with her emotional baggage, let alone herself? Who would _willingly _cope with all of her issues? How could she learn… to _trust _someone enough for it to matter someday?

'_Neither fish or fowl nor good red herring. That's me. I don't belong here, or at home. Everyone can function just fine without me.'_ Desperate for a hug, she wrapped her own arms around her body, and squeezed as hard as she was able to. She tried to make herself imagine that it was really her mother, squeezing her like that. Or even her father. Her father…

A few tears squeezed past her guard, and ran down her face as her heart broke anew. She missed her parents and the simple happy life they had shared together more than mere words could hope to express.

'_I can't wait to get out of here! I don't even care where I go, as long as I don't have to be kept here for a toy and pet! Freedom, thy name tastes so lovely upon my lips… or mind… whatever.'_

A branch cracked, making her ears perk up. She raised her head enough to see who was intruding on her alone time.

'_Baron again? Is he stalking me or something?' _She looked away, and tried to rub away the tears so that he wouldn't see.

But it was too late. The Cat Creation swiftly walked toward her, and kneeled right in front of her, his glorious green eyes haunted.

"No, Haru. It's okay if you cry. In my experience, it even helps, it's nothing to be ashamed of," he said consolingly, offering a plain white handkerchief. Noting that her own was still spotted with blood, she accepted it, and mopped her face while allowing the tears to flow down her soaked cheeks, not quite realizing that she was trusting the orange and cream cat to keep this between them.

Suddenly, she stiffened in disbelief.

'_Did he just call me __**by name**__?'_

Baron jerked a bit, himself.

"My apologies, Maj-"

She pressed her gloved hand to his mouth, shaking her head in a pleading manner.

'_Please, don't apologize! I hate being majesty-ed to death!'_

Baron's eyes unclouded somewhat, and he smiled a bit as she lowered her hand.

"Would you prefer for me to address you by name, at least in private?"

She nodded enthusiastically, a smile present through the remaining tears.

'_Finally! Someone with a clue!'_

The Creation Lord smiled a bit wider, and took the seat next to her on the bench after she moved her patchwork out of the way.

"That's good to know. You never really struck me as the type to glory in titles."

'_Oh, funny. He's figured out in a week or less what eludes almost everyone in the entire kingdom for years. Well, I guess it shouldn't be surprising. He __**is **__the owner of the Cat Bureau, after all. Why is he blushing again?'_

The orange and cream cat coughed once, a magenta blush on his furry cheeks.

"I hope you will forgive my taking the liberty, Haru, but… you seemed very lonely, just now."

'_Story of my life.'_

His eyes flickered, and his mouth gave a sad smile.

"I… I just wanted to tell you, I have no idea what you've been putting up with, ever since you moved here, but I can tell that it's tearing you apart. I hope that you'll do a small favor for me?"

She cocked her head at him, wondering what he might want from her. He took a deep breath.

"I've met women in your kind of predicament before. Being married to someone you despise, I mean. In every instance, the wife turns bitter, and does everything in her power to make her husband miserable. A few times, they even killed their husbands for his wealth." He looked at her again, and smiled warmly.

Without warning, her heart began to increase its steady pace.

"You're the first girl I've met that's willing to endure more years of pain than she has to, just to stop the terrible cycle of ache and vengeance. That's a very rare thing, Haru. Not too many people are strong enough to endure that kind of punishment." He stood up, and tipped his hat politely at her.

"I also know that you have a very warm heart, and that it's threatening to turn cold from what you've been through. _Please, _Haru, there are enough cold-hearted people in the world. Don't let yours turn cold as well."

She stared at him. She had never really thought of her actions as heroic. Was that how he saw her?

Why the heck did she like the way he said her name so much?

Finally, she smiled, and stood up enough so that she could bow politely, like the way she had while living as a human back in Tokyo.

'_Thank you, Baron. That was __**exactly **__what I needed to hear.'_

The Cat Creation smiled even wider, and kissed her hand like the gentleman that he was.

"You're welcome, Haru. Glad to be of service."

She beamed at him, bowing once more before the clock in the tower struck the hour. The slim brunette wanted to growl at the hour, but couldn't without her voice. It was time for her dress-fitting for the banquet tomorrow, and she had learned better than to be _too_ late for such things.

She gathered up her sewing, threw it all into her handbag, and bowed warmly to Baron once more before leaving the area.

'_He may flip out over nothing a lot, but Baron's still a great guy. I like how kind and modest he is. It's really strange how, although we hardly know each other, we can communicate so flawlessly. It's almost like he can read my mind.'_

She stopped dead in her tracks, as did Baron, who was walking on the other side of the hedge, strangely not being able to keep himself away from the queen for extended periods of time. His heart pounded loudly in his chest, praying that she wasn't catching onto his little secret. Besides Toto and Muta, no one knew the true properties of the silver treasure that the Cat Creation kept on his person at all times.

The seconds ticked by.

The queen laughed her usual breathy laugh, and started walking again.

'_No, of course he can't hear my thoughts. What a ridiculous idea.'_

Baron breathed a huge sigh of relief, and kept walking as well.

'_He'd need my father's watch to know what I'm thinking, and that thing was destroyed years ago when Dad died. Sure would be nice, to see it just __**one**__ more time.'_


	13. A Well Kept Secret

**Chapter Thirteen: A Well-Kept Secret**

Baron's jaw nearly fell off of his face as the queen walked alone out of the garden, and into the tall castle that had become her prison.

'_Her __**father**__?! No… oh no.' _He stumbled to a bench, and sat in it, staring off into space. Memories flooded back like a tsunami…

ooOoo

"_We are so glad that you could make it, Lord Gikkingen," a fat old man jabbered as Baron stepped through the golden portal. On the back of the old man was a pair of weak-looking sparrow wings. Baron tipped his hat at the man, looking around the beautiful kingdom that was made entirely of mountains._

"_It was my pleasure. Pray, what would the Icari King wish of me? The request was a little garbled."_

_The old man laughed a bit uneasily while stepping behind the Cat Creation to grab his arms securely._

"_The king requested me to bring you to him, so that __**he **__can tell you. I tend to skip details a bit, and it drives him crazy." With that, the wings on the man's back began to beat up and down, somehow managing the weight as he sailed from his modest tower to the one made of marble and diamond. The guards posted over the biggest window flew aside so that the man could bring the Creation through, their eagle wings pointed to the sun in a traditional Icari salute. Baron tipped his hat at the two the best he could manage as his carrier made a heavy landing inside the gleaming window. The orange and cream cat landed solidly on his feet while the old man fell on his backside, panting heavily._

"_Your Majesty! The Baron Humbert von Gikkingen!"_

_The Creation looked upwards, to see a throne almost three stories up from the ground, a handsome young Icari on the throne. His wings had the golden gleam of sunlight, as did his modest crown. The monarch beamed, and sailed down in order to grasp the help's hand firmly._

"_Well met, good Baron! We've been hearing many good things about you."_

"_Then the reports were probably exaggerated," the half-cat laughed. "I tend to step on toes a bit to get the job done."_

"_Yes, we've heard that," the Icari King agreed, his smile betraying a trace of boyish enthusiasm. "But still, I know that if you __**are **__able to help my people, you will do everything in your power to ensure their happiness."_

_Baron nodded._

"_So tell me, what's the emergency?"_

_The young king sighed tiredly._

"_It's my uncle, I'm afraid. He has some… ah, hard feelings you could say, about my ascending the throne instead of him. It's a standard war over the crown, but he's crossed the line this time! He's kidnapped my beloved and is threatening to kill her if I don't surrender the crown to him. But, I know him well, good Baron. The estates my father had left to him in the will are ruined, without hope of becoming fruitful again for at least two centuries. I shudder to think of what will happen to my kingdom if he isn't stopped."_

_Baron smiled, and patted the king awkwardly on the shoulder, thanks to the protruding wing._

"_You did the right thing, to call for me, your Majesty. It would have been better if you had called me sooner, but I suppose that can't be helped now. Do we know where your beloved is?"_

_The king smiled grimly, and pointed to a black curtain._

"_I have a seer in there, who said that he's getting closer to her location. Perhaps you've heard of him, Damian von Blut?"_

_Baron twitched visibly, his mind in complete shock._

"_Surely you're joking. __**The **__Damian von Blut?"_

_The king smiled even wider._

"_I see even you, secluded in the Creation's Refuge, could not help but to know of him. Yes, it's truly him. My father saved his life a few years back, so he owed my family a favor. In fact, he's much like __**you **__are, Lord Gikkingen."_

"_I see. Do I get to meet him?" Baron asked, dearly wishing to meet the man that had inspired him to start the Cat Bureau. The king laughed._

"_Certainly, as soon as he-"_

_The black curtain rippled in the air, forcing the two to look at the emerging figure._

_Indeed, the man was dressed in a suit, complete with top hat and cane like the good Baron, but unlike the immortal, the renowned human's outfit was a sapphire color that mimicked the glorious night sky. And peaking from underneath the dark top hat was a thick crop of hair that was as white as starlight, the mark of a seer and magician of the von Blut line. His dark emerald eyes were first on the young king, but then trailed to the Cat Creation. His eyes seemed to burn with an unknown intensity._

_From his right hand dangled a fine silver chain, one end clipped to his jacket pocket while the other ended at the knob of an intricately engraved silver watch, set with a gleaming pearl. The fairly young magician rubbed the watch thoughtfully._

_Baron never really knew how long the great Damian von Blut stood there, gazing at him. It felt like the renowned seer was looking right through him, exploring every possible aspect of him with a calculated calmness._

"_I see you have finally arrived, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. I hope you're as good as your reputation," the seer said finally, like he had known that the Creation would come._

_Which he very well may have._

_The immortal laughed a little uneasily, although he had to be at least sixty years older than the intimidating human._

"_Reputations tend to be inflated, Damian von Blut. I suspect you know that firsthand."_

_The magician smiled, and laughed softly._

"_Modesty. I like that. Well, let's go, my lord Baron. We have a queen to save."_

ooOoo

"A queen to save," Baron whispered, looking at the precious pocket watch. With a shaky hand, he flipped it so that he was looking at the back instead of the front. Very carefully, he pried the silver backing off. The hollow lid came off grudgingly, allowing the Cat Creation to look inside the contraption.

But he didn't see the mechanics that made the device tick. Instead, he was looking at a family portrait that the previous owner had lovingly placed inside the back of the watch.

It was Damian, with a beautiful redheaded woman, whose glorious brown eyes were sparkling with happiness. They each had an arm around each other… and one arm around the adorable little girl sitting partially on both of their laps. The girl had her father's starlight hair (pulled back in a high ponytail), but her mother's beautiful brown eyes and fair face. She smiled happily, cuddling her parents' arms close, trying to get them to hug her harder. Her smile sparkled just as brightly as the moon, and her skin was almost as pale.

"_I keep my motivation in here, Baron. Whenever I wonder why I keep putting myself in a position that I might not make it back home, I look in there. It reminds me of what kind of world I want my beautiful little girl to grow up in. But, I won't be coming home to her this time. I've seen her future, Baron, and it's something I wish I could prevent with all my heart. A monster will come, and try to destroy her beautiful warm heart. She'll be able to keep it, but she'll need your help."_

Baron's glance trailed up to Haru's mother. This was the woman that committed suicide, quite possibly over the guilt of not being able to protect her only child from falling prey to a lecherous king. There is the child the queen once was.

No wonder he didn't recognize her; the tiny white-haired girl in the picture radiated happiness while the brunette queen spoke silently of sorrow. But, at the same time, he wanted to hit himself for missing all the obvious hints.

'_No wonder the watch goes crazy whenever she is near. And how comforting her presence is, she inherited her father's beautiful heart.' _His tears of regret and pain slowly turned into tears of anger.

Here was _his _motivation as well.

With a steely determination, he closed the back of the watch, and stood up from his bench, glaring up at the castle that was somehow the very core of Haru's suffering.

"I won't fail you, Damian," he whispered angrily. "I'll save the queen. She'll be rescued from this living nightmare tomorrow, one way or another."

From the other side of a hedge, one unseen by the castle, a figure draped in a black cloak smiled.

'_It's about time he figured out who the queen was. Now the fun can __**really **__start.'_

ooOoo

'Blut' means blood. The waltz from the movie is named 'Katzen Blut' or 'cat's blood' in German. It felt appropriate.


	14. Revelations

**Chapter Fourteen: Revelations**

The Cat King growled, withdrawing from the scene in the garden that he had just witnessed, to sulk inside his study.

He should have known. He should have suspected, from the moment that his wife met the Cat Bureau.

The great Baron Humbert von Gikkingen… was in love with _his _wife. He howled, and slammed a fist onto a desk, splitting it down the middle.

"I'm not dead yet!" he shrieked to the empty room.

"But you will be soon," a slightly familiar voice answered him. The king wheeled around, to find the mysterious seer from before, sitting on the high-back chair, his face still firmly covered.

"You!" the feline monarch howled. "This is all your fault!"

The shadowy figure laughed.

"It's _my_ fault that _you_ blackmailed a defenseless girl into marrying you, and for damaging your heir beyond repair?"

He growled.

"No, it's your fault that Baron's here, and that he's fallen for my wife!"

The cloaked seer laughed again.

"I'm not the one that called him here. I'm also not the one that never gave the queen a solid reason to love you."

"I gave her plenty of reasons!" the king insisted. The figure shook his head again in an irritated manner.

"Which is why she'll smile at anyone but you? And avoids your touch when she can? No, it's no one's fault but your own, that you will die at the banquet tomorrow. Even _I'm_ looking forward to it." He waved one hand back and forth, like a pendulum as he slowly disappeared, fading into nothing, his laughter full of mockery. "Tic, tock, tic, tock…"

The king's heart froze at the thought. He had less than twenty-four hours to live. He would die, in front of all the courtiers that he ruled over.

His wife was still young and beautiful. Courtiers often made up excuses to talk to her, or even be in the same room so they could gaze at her. Those sniveling felines were kept back solely by the fact that Haru was married to their king.

But after his death, there would be nothing between his young bride and all those suitors. She would surely marry again, after his death.

Perhaps, it would even be Baron. He had seen the smile she had given the Creation, never had she sent one like that at _him_. Perhaps… perhaps she would even have a baby with-

No! No! He had worked far too hard for her just for someone else to get her as soon as he was out of the picture. How dare Baron and all the rest of them eye her when she belonged to him, the Cat King?!

After he had destroyed more furniture, the large longhair began to calm down.

No. There was no way anyone else would ever have his precious beautiful wife.

And to do that, he would have to take her with him into death.

ooOoo

"But Baron! Are you absolutely sure?" Muta asked as the Cat Creation paced his room, back and forth.

"Without a doubt, my friend. Damian even told me that she would be a deadly dancer, and that she would be under a new name." The tawny feline collapsed onto a chair, one hand to his forehead. "He said that I would meet her under unexpected circumstances, but this was a bit over the top."

The large white cat shook his head while staring at the watch in Baron's fist.

"Who'd have thought that Chicky had such a big secret weighing her down? But wait. I thought she was supposed to be a seer and magician like her old man."

"She is," Baron said, staring at the gleaming pearl in the watch. "She just needs a little nudge in the right direction." _'And she's going to get that nudge, even if it kills me.'_

The Cat Creation smiled evilly, since _his _death wasn't the one needed.

ooOoo

Haru took out a modest gold pendant from her jewelry collection, and reluctantly snapped the ornament around her throat.

'_Why do cats keep insisting that fish are decorative? Why not a mouse or a cloud while they're at it?'_

Although few things would have pleased her more than to tear the entire outfit off of her body, she looked at herself in the mirror that her handmaids were holding up.

The elaborate ball gown she was currently wearing was a huge one that strongly reminded her of Queen Victoria, yellow as usual. It was the king's favorite color on her. Although the outfit had called for a thick white collar, her neck was bare, so that the young queen could showcase her long head fur, which now held a gentle curl from the irons that had been in the locks earlier.

Traditionally, married women pulled their hair back, but the king was very prideful of her mixed genes, which were his fault, so her hair usually flowed over her slim shoulders during court functions.

She looked ridiculous.

"Oh, you look so beautiful, your Majesty," the lavender-furred Ria gushed. "No one will be able to take your eyes off you."

'_Except when they're doubled over in laughter. Please, let this be the last time I have to wear something this fancy. It __**itches**__ like no one's business!'_

The king burst through the red curtain in order to look his wife over. He was wearing the formal golden armbands, about the only gesture _he _had to make for the grand occasion. He smiled greasily at her, shamelessly staring at her body like he usually did.

Just his gaze was enough to make her feel filthy.

"Beautiful as usual, babe. Let's not keep everyone waiting." He offered a scrawny arm to her, and she took it with great reluctance. The king brought his arm in sharply, forcing her to brush sides with him as they escaped through the curtain and down the halls.

"Just wait, babe," he assured her, petting her arm in long strong strokes with his other paw. "This will be our best anniversary yet."

'_I hope that's because it will be our last. I'm not quite sure how I know this, but you will die today, one way or another. And I'm not all that sure I'm going to try to stop it.'_

The king's eyes seemed to sparkle, her first clue that he was up to something. The second was that he had reverted to calling her 'babe' again. The name he had used for everyone _except _his wife since he married her.

They came to the largest curtain that led to the banquet hall, and the king waved his arm at the attendant.

Bowing stiffly, he slipped through the curtain. A triumphant fanfare blared throughout the wing of the castle.

"Their royal Majesties, the Cat King and his queen!"

'_I wonder if they even know the king's name. I wonder if they even know __**my **__name,' _the brunette wondered miserably.

The curtain parted dramatically, and the king made his wife stay by his side, to ensure that they would be the center of attention. Never mind the fact that the party was for them.

Haru made sure that her political face was securely in place, she smiled politely as the courtiers raised their goblets high from the dance floor in salute.

"Nana!"

Haru whipped her arm out of her husband's in order to catch the gray ball of fluff that flew at her. She caught her semi-granddaughter with ease, taking a step forward in order to make the catch.

"Nana!" Haruhi sang out, attacking her from behind. Haru smiled lovingly while straightening, carrying the princess in front and the prince behind her. The crowd laughed appreciatively as the queen carried the kittens to the royal table.

"Get off," the Cat King hissed at his grandchildren, who had ruined what would have been a fantastic entrance. Harumi pouted, holding onto Haru's neck.

"But we _like _our Nana!"

The brunette's heart melted and she held them tighter as she found her seat. Her husband sat down next to her, and leaned over, his eyes turning insanely mad.

"_Go sit at your seats,_" the grandfather ordered, the spark in his eyes saying that now wasn't the time to disobey him. The kittens began to quake with fear as they hurried off of the queen, and sat with their parents, who petted them comfortingly while shaking their heads angrily at the monarch. The king smiled smugly as his wife shot him a glare of pure hatred.

"Let the celebration begin!" he proclaimed grandly, making a few servants shoot off some confetti, and the musicians start a lively waltz.

The courtiers seemed to move in a solid pattern, as smooth as a river as partners twirled around and became swept into the air. The queen leaned forward a bit from her ornate chair, her gaze distant as she watched the beautiful dance, hypnotized.

A polite coughing came from the king's other side. He looked over to see the Baron. He growled.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to dance with your wife?" the orange and cream cat asked pointedly. "This _is _a party for you two, after all."

"Not on your life," the king chuckled darkly, feeling his legs. When he had danced with his bride at their wedding banquet, she had left him with two broken legs. And the last thing he wanted was to repeat the experience.

Baron cocked his head, and smiled politely.

"Then would you raise a protest if _I _danced with her?"

The king was about to shout no to the high heavens, but then remembered. The Cat Creation would make a wonderful #496 on Haru's casualty count, and teach him a thing or two about checking out other people's wives. He smiled evilly, almost purring.

"I don't mind in the least. Please, feel free."


	15. A Surprising Turn of Events

**Chapter Fifteen: A Surprising Turn of Events**

Haru was gazing peacefully at the swirling dancers when a familiar torso stood right in front of her view of the dance floor. She looked up in confusion, and smiled warmly.

'_Hi, Baron. Fancy meeting you here.'_

He bowed politely, and smiled at her. But, there was something… _different_ in the way he was looking at her.

"Would your Majesty honor me with a dance?" he asked politely, a soft smile on his lips as he looked at her.

Haru's jaw dropped.

'_Baron, are you insane?! You saw what happens to my dancing partners! Please, I don't want to end up hurting you too!' _She started shaking her head like mad, hoping that he would understand. Why wasn't the king being his usual jealous self? But, Baron's smile didn't change in the least. He held his hand out to her invitingly.

"Just trust me," he said softly, his eyes surprisingly calm. This _was _the same cat that would blush at nothing a lot, wasn't it?

'_Trust… no one's asked that of me in years. Should I?' _Biting her lip nervously, she placed her hesitantly placed her hand in his. He smiled even more warmly, and helped her out of the chair so that he could lead her to the dance floor.

All the other dancers immediately returned to their seats to stay clear of the queen's path, some even muttering prayers for Baron's soul. As he placed one hand on her waist and held her other hand so gently, the musicians stopped playing. The Cat Creation looked over at them.

"If you would?" he asked politely. The flutist shook his head first, quickly followed by everyone else, since no one wanted a casualty at the banquet that wasn't the king. The orange and cream cat sighed.

"Muta?" he called out, a request in his tone.

"On it!" the fat cat called out, stealing an accordion from one of the older musicians. The large white feline started expertly playing a soft ballad, one not often heard in the Cat Kingdom.

Smoothly, Baron started guiding the queen through a rotating box step, not bothering with any explanations like the others had. Desperate to keep up with his footwork, the slim brunette did her best to follow his lead, still kicking him twice, but they had none of the power she had given to the other dance instructors, since she had a bit of a soft spot for him.

Showing more patience than anyone had in a long time, Baron kept at it, barely even wincing when her feet didn't quite go where they were supposed to.

The aristocrats gasped as the clumsy queen slowly became better and better under the baron's quiet tutelage. Smiling peacefully, Baron led her through a dip and twirled her around expertly like a ballerina.

Haru's mind was in chaos. There really _was_ a guy besides her father that could make her dance! She had almost forgotten what it was like to be held close like this, by someone she respected.

It felt… safe. She hadn't felt this safe since she was a young child.

"Do you know what this song is, your Majesty?" the Cat Creation asked her softly, a soft and tender twinkle in his eye. A little puzzled, she shook her head, although the melody sounded hauntingly familiar.

"It was written about two centuries ago, in Germany. It's called 'Cat's Blood', or more accurately, 'Katzen Blut'."

'_Blut?!' _Her eyebrows shot up, and a soft gasp escaped her throat. _'Does he know? Who I am? Why did he tell me that?' _

Of course. This waltz had been her family's unofficial theme song for over a century. How could she have forgotten it? Her father loved dancing with her mother to this song… the exact same steps that Baron was leading her through right now. But neither she nor her mother had gained the heart to play it again, after his death.

Baron _had _to know the truth about her! There was no possible way he could have picked this song without knowing.

Baron smiled warmly at her again, knowing that the song would end soon.

"If I were you, Majesty, I would keep my eye out for a yellow box with a red ribbon in the gifts you and the king will receive. There's something _much_ better than fish crackers inside." He smiled once more at her as they separated and twirled once, he to bow and she to curtsy as the last notes rang through the banquet hall.

"Good luck," he whispered as the king regained the ability to breath.

"How the heck did you do that?!" the large longhair demanded as the baron led the queen back to her seat, everyone else in the room too shocked for words. Did little Haruhi realize he was holding a fish halfway to his open mouth, but not eating?

"It's commonly called 'asking', your Majesty," the Cat Creation said calmly, stepping away from the throne to bow politely to the royal couple. "You would be most surprised to see what can happen when you gain someone's personal consent."

'_Is he baiting me?' _The king glowered at the retreating orange and cream cat before turning away. _'Well, there's no way in heck that I'm going to give him a duchy for dancing with __**my **__wife like that!' _"That's enough dancing! Bring on the gifts!"

'_Gift means poison in German. I wonder if his Majesty knows that.' _The queen bit back a quiet giggle, doubting it, since he barely spoke his native tongue. One by one, the attendants would bring forward gifts from individual nobles. The king always grabbed the bigger ones, although the queen would quite willingly open the smaller ones. The gifts were all fairly standard, a new robe or jeweled trinket that might see one use before it gets thrown into the treasury or a bottomless closet.

After un-wrapping a lovely bouquet of red roses, Haru saw it.

An all-too familiar small yellow box, tied shut with a red ribbon. If Baron had kept silent, the Cat Queen would have suspected that the gift was from Lune and Yuki.

'_What did he mean by better than fish crackers? Is it from him?' _Whatever it was wasn't very big, she could hold the box with one hand.

While the king happily tore wrapping paper off of a brand new mantle clock (decorated with fish, of course), his wife hesitantly took one end of the red bow, and pulled on it, so reminiscent of when Lune proposed to Yuki, all those years ago.

The top fell open to reveal the contents.

Haru stared at it, and began crying. And she hadn't cried in public since her wedding, although she rarely stopped weeping in her heart.

'_Dad's watch!' _With glee, she pulled it out of the box in order to hold it in her hands. Oh, it felt so _good _to feel the swirling design of the engraving, and to feel the smoothness of the pearl at the center. The pocket watch clicked at her happily, winding itself as far as it could before beginning its cheerful chant of 'tic, tock, tic, tock'. She held the precious heirloom to her ear, to hear it better.

It was the next best thing to having her father back. As she opened her eyes, she noticed that there was a small note neatly clipped to the other end of the chain, waiting patiently in the box.

Pressing the watch to her heart, the Cat Queen fished out the note, and unclipped it from the end so she could fold it open, and started reading, although tears were still cascading down her cheeks.

_Your father gave this to me, shortly before he died. He asked me to keep it safe for you, until we would meet, and when you would be ready to use it. He also asked me to pass on a few messages for him._

_He wants you to know that there __**was **__a reason for your years of pain, and it will be several more before the full reason is made clear to you. His last thoughts were for you and your mother. He loves you more than anything I have the ability to express, merely being the messenger. I doubt even death could be enough to keep him from loving you. He could be surprisingly stubborn when he set his mind to it, as I'm certain you know all too well._

_Also, although I have no idea what he meant by this, he wants you to use the pearl. He said you would understand, and that I was not to interfere, no matter how much I want to._

_I trust you, Louise. Knock him dead. Literally. Please._

The brunette half-cat raised her eyes to the stained glass ceiling, her mind swirling around with multiple thoughts.

'_Love… pain… Dad… pearl… Louise… USE THE PEARL?! Did Dad lose his mind?!' _she thought in a panic. More than a thousand things could go wrong if she tried a stunt _that _suicidal!

But then again… what did she have to lose? Lune and Yuki? Haruhi and Harumi?

She bit her lip nervously, and stiffened her resolve. If she failed the mission her father had given her through Baron, at least the remaining royal family would have good memories of her. Perhaps _that _would be enough.

'_I'll do it. For Dad, for Mom, Machida, Hiromi, Lune, Yuki… and for me. This will end __**now**__, one way or another_,_' _she thought fiercely.

"Wow, Baron must really like you, Nana, if he gave you his watch," Haruhi commented, gazing at the silver contraption. The queen smiled happily, bowing from her seat to the Cat Creation on the other side of the room.

If the tawny feline had chosen any method _but _this to tell her he could hear what she's been thinking, she would have been mortified beyond comprehension. He clearly had no idea of just what he had given her.

But he would soon enough, as well as the entire kingdom.

"_Thank you, Baron. I don't need to see a name at the end of the note to know it's yours," _Haru told Baron thankfully, making the orange and cream cat jump again in a manner reminiscent of their older acquaintance. But he smiled warmly while bowing back as Muta smirked evilly.

'_You're welcome, Louise. I hope you paid attention to the last line.'_

The king snapped out of his private world, his eyes becoming angry as his wife lovingly clipped the end of the chain to her hidden pocket, and gently sent the watch in after it, with the tender note.

"Haru, give me that watch! It's too masculine for you!" he ordered arrogantly, intending to dispose of Baron's gift as soon as his wife's back was turned in the most violent manner possible.

His young queen glared at him, already feeling the change slowly ripple through her body as her father's heritage raced back through her veins, turning her back into her true self.

For once, in their eight years of marriage, the king had been right. This _would _be their best anniversary ever.

"_DROP DEAD, YOU STINKING PERVERT!" _


	16. Reaping What's Sewn

Warning: This chapter will be very gory. There will be lots of blood. There will be death. If anyone reading this has a squeamish stomach, then don't read it. You have been warned.

**Chapter Sixteen: Reaping What's Sewn**

The king's hair stood on end as he fell off his chair in complete and total shock. Everyone in the room gasped and started looking around, trying to find out where the voice was coming from.

"H-Haru?" the king asked timidly, using his throne to help him get back on his hind paws, with Natori on the other side of him. His mismatched eyes were rolling around in their sockets. "D-did you just talk?"

"_Of course not, you idiot. I can't talk, remember? I haven't spoken a single word since you forced me to marry you." _She looked over at a very stunned Lune and Yuki and sent them a private message. _"I want you two to get the kittens out of here. Some things are going to happen that you don't want them to see, trust me. Please hurry!"_

Lune broke out of the trance first and struggled to his feet. He whispered softly to his children and wife while quietly leaving the table. Haru refocused her attention on the king, to make sure that he wouldn't notice his retreating family. But she made sure that everyone in the castle besides the kittens could hear her loud and clear.

"_You want the real truth, Phoebus? I never stopped talking to you. The only difference between then and now is that I have a way to __**make **__you hear me. You were deaf either way, so I really have to talk loud to get you to notice that I despise you with a holy passion. HOW DUMB DO YOU HAVE TO BE, __**NOT **__TO NOTICE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"_

Everyone started laughing uproariously as the king flushed red with humiliation and anger.

"You can't talk to me like that!" he howled at her, but she very calmly sipped her water.

"_I've been talking to you like that since before we got married, you idiot. Maybe if you had been smart enough to listen to me back then, I wouldn't talk to you like that now!"_

Familiar with the king's reflexes, the queen rolled expertly out of her chair as his fist demolished it into firewood.

"I thought I beat this out of you! Everything I have is at your feet, whatever you want, you get. What's so bad about that?!"

"_You want to know?! You really want to know what's wrong with being your queen?! Answer this one question, and you can't help, Natori. The king has to answer this on his own."_

Natori flinched away from the royal table.

"_Phoebus, what is my favorite color?"_

The Cat King blinked.

"Um… yellow?"

"_No. Try again."_

"Purple?"

"_It's green, you moron. What about my mother's name? My father's?"_

"What does that have to do with anything?!" the king howled helplessly.

"_These are things you should have known at least within the first month of our marriage! I know your favorite color is lavender, your parents' names were Artemis and Diana. I can name everyone in your family tree for at least five generations, but you can't name anyone in mine. You don't even know what my real name is."_

"What's _that _supposed to mean?!" the lazy monarch demanded. The queen looked at the Cat Creation across the room.

"_Baron, what were my parents' names?"_

"Damian and Nicole von Blut," he answered automatically, a little surprised that she was choosing to announce it to the world, after hiding it for so long.

Everyone gasped again as the king's jaw dropped.

"No…! There is no possible way that _you're _their daughter!"

Haru smiled grimly and pulled down one sleeve so he could see her tan shoulder, which was slowly turning as white as starlight as it trailed up and around her neck.

"_Then I suppose that this is just a sickness that will pass?" _she asked while taking off her gloves, looking at the white fur with delight. _"How do you think I'm talking to you without my voice, if I'm not a von Blut? You really should have checked my background before deciding that I would join the royal family."_

The king was shaking his head madly, watching his wife's face turn pale, and her long head fur slowly turn white from roots to end, like a changing waterfall.

"But… why didn't…"

"_Father bound my powers before he died, but left me enough to trade one thing of mine to change something in someone else. You foolish jerk. I traded my voice to make sure that you could never father children on anyone again."_

The king howled with rage, brandishing his dinner knife like a weapon. He lunged for her, and took a nice slice out of her arm as she jumped away.

"I wanted children!" he shrieked at her while coming to attack her again. Swishing her hand slightly, an ornate dagger materialized in the white-haired feline's hand in time for her to deflect the knife.

"_And I wanted a normal human life to share with someone I loved! Why should you get what you want when I can't have it either because of your selfishness?! Frankly, I find __**Natoru **__more attractive than you!" _she shrieked back, sliding the knife so that her husband's arms became deeply cut by the elaborate weapon. The courtiers' laughter rang out once more as the king howled his displeasure and humiliation.

And the battle began. The royal couple circled each other, clashing their weapons often, and leaving long red gashes that stained their fur.

If the Cat King had kept his temper under control, it would have been an easy win for him. He was twice as big as his wife, and much stronger. On top of that, he had been a renowned fighter in his youth.

But he didn't. All thought was erased from his mind as he brainlessly tried to bury his dinner knife into the slim queen, who although wasn't as strong as her husband, was much faster, and her weapon sharper. She dodged his blows with ease, taking deep slashes into his wrinkled flesh while he was still extending his arm for a futile thrust. The marble tiles on the floor soon became slick with the monarch's dark blood.

It was the only reason that Haru slipped, and fell flat on her back.

Frothing red foam at the mouth, the king uttered a final battle cry as he shoved his weapon directly into his wife's heart.

Baron might have uttered a scream. He wasn't quite sure, the room seemed to swim in his vision as he jumped over the barricade of servant and nobles, who were climbing over each other in order to get a better view of the cat fight (all pun intended).

"_Don't, Baron!" _the Cat Queen cried out in her mind as the Creation rushed to her. _"You promised you wouldn't interfere, no matter what! Trust Dad! Trust __**me**__!" _she begged, rising to her feet again, despite the weapon protruding from her chest.

Baron stopped ten feet away as the queen raised her dagger, and shoved it through her husband's neck. He cried out, but it was gurgled thanks to the rising blood. He fell to the ground, slowly becoming immersed in a pool of his own blood. Those large mismatched eyes glazed over, and he was dead.

His wife stumbled away a bit, and pulled out the knife that the king had planted in her chest. Blood was running down her front like a river as she panted painfully, holding the silver watch to her heart with both hands. The purple gem on her forehead loosened its grip, and then fell to the floor, clinking against the polished tiles.

Something red poured out of the king, but it wasn't more blood. Like a mist, red particles rose from the king's bleeding body to form a cloud, and then make a beeline for the queen, the particles at the front sort of making an arrowhead directed at her throat. Haru lifted her chin high, so that the strange substance could become absorbed through the skin. When the last of it was inside the pale young queen, she stood up tall and proud, despite the fatal wound she had been given for her efforts. Very weakly, she smiled at everyone as her eyes began to roll back.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should _never _force anyone to marry you."

With that, she fell to the ground, Baron just catching her. Her glorious brown eyes closed, and she stopped breathing, still holding the precious watch to her heart.

She had finally found peace.

"No!" Baron wrapped one arm around Haru's shoulders, and started patting her face a bit. "Haru, talk to me! You can't go like this!"

"Let it be," Natori said grimly. "She's dead."

"No, she can't be dead!" _'Damian! You promised she would be fine!'_


	17. Past and Future

**Chapter Seventeen: Past and Future**

_Haru sighed happily, now that she was freed from everything that had shackled her to the Cat Kingdom. She looked around, to find herself in a large black void. She was just floating around in a sea of nothing._

'_So this is what it's like, being dead. It's strangely peaceful. Will I see Mom and Dad soon?'_

_Suddenly, she could see a light, far, far below her. Curious, she pointed herself in that direction, and somehow made her body go in that course. The light became brighter, and brighter as she collided with it. _

_The white-haired feline had closed her eyes upon impact, but then opened them again. She gasped in shock._

_It was a mountain battlefield, littered with bodies. At first glance, they appeared to be human and bird bodies, but the wings sticking from the humans' backs weren't exactly decorational._

'_Icari! I thought their kind was a myth!' Her delicate feet touched the scorched earth, and she began looking around. There __**had **__to be a reason to come here._

"_No! Damian, you can't die!"_

_Her heart froze, recognizing Baron's voice. She ran for the direction that his voice had come from, around a bend. _

_As she came into sight of the Creation Lord, her heart stopped._

"_Dad!" She ran for her father's broken, bleeding body, which was being held by none other than her orange and cream friend. Her father gasped painfully, a bit of blood appearing at the corners of his mouth as he tried to cover the wound in his stomach. Haru knelt by his side, and reached out for his hand. But, she went right through him, like she was a ghost. Staring at her hand, she realized._

'_I must be having my first vision! That's why they can't see or hear me!'_

"_No, Baron… it's my time to go. I knew that long before I left my family forever. They know I'm not coming back," the silver-haired magician said weakly._

"_But you can't die," Baron insisted while pulling the silver watch from his pocket. "Can't this thing save you?"_

"_I'm not the one it needs to save. Baron, there are some things you need to know, before I die."_

_With tearing eyes, the Cat Creation nodded, making his companion sigh tiredly. _

"_I saw you, long before we met in the throne room. I saw your future. You will meet my daughter one day, and you'll need to give her not only the watch, but all the support that you can. She'll need all the support she can get, when she destroys the monster."_

"_The same one you told me about?" Baron guessed._

"_Yes, but that's not all. I don't know how to put this delicately, but you're going to marry her one day."_

_Haru gasped with astonishment._

"_Dad, are you out of your mind?!" she yelled at him as Baron choked uncontrollably._

"_Sir, there are a few problems with that. The fact that we're different species comes to mind fairly quickly, as does our different life spans."_

"_Don't worry, that will be fixed long before you meet my Louise. In fact, you'll fall for her long before you figure out that she's my daughter. She'll be keeping her ancestry a secret for obvious reasons. I still have enemies, you know. Oh, and don't forget to tell her to use the pearl," Damian urged weakly._

"_What's that supposed to mean?!" Baron demanded, sneaking a glance at the contraption in his hand._

"_I dare not tell you, you won't let her do it if you know. Oh, and please don't interfere when she does it, or she __**will **__die a terrible death."_

_Slowly, the Cat Creation nodded._

"_How do I find her?" the half feline asked hesitantly, making the seer chuckle as his eyes began to glaze over._

"_You'll meet her when she's ready to meet you, but I don't recommend telling her about your intertwined destinies, she's a bit headstrong. Please, Baron, she'll have lived through some unspeakable things, and she'll need the solid love of a good man. And… I know you've been lonely too, although you'd never admit it aloud. You and my daughter will have a bright future together, if you'll just trust me. Don't… don't disappoint me," he sobbed._

"_Never, Damian," the lord promised, although his eyes were greatly troubled by the revelation about his personal life. "When I meet Louise, I'll do everything I can to help her. You have my word."_

_With that, the great Damian von Blut breathed a sigh of gratitude, and died peacefully in the Creation's arms. Haru's heart broke anew as Baron shamelessly cried tears of despair. The white haired cat-woman wept into her hands, somewhat finding peace that her father had known, and approved, of what she had done to the Cat King._

'_Was Dad serious? That Baron loves me?'_

_Without warning, the scenery faded, along with her beloved father and friend. And then lights appeared all around her, to reassemble a new background._

_When the colors stopped dancing around, Haru was standing inside a strange courtyard. It was circular, and had a cobblestone street. In the middle of all the houses, was an extremely tall stone pedestal, the top of which was topped with a finely carved crow gargoyle._

"_What is this place?" she wondered aloud, looking at the charming houses. A familiar grunt met her ears, making her turn a bit. _

_Muta was walking through a lean alleyway that led into the strange courtyard, standing on his hind legs as his bones cracked._

_He looked a bit older than she was used to, but not by much. As he checked the mail in the box next to a yellow house, the crow gargoyle began to glow, until his form was flesh instead of stone._

"_Sounds like you're getting older," the crow said tauntingly. "Maybe you should let some young kitten be the new Cat Bureau agent for the outside world."_

"_Not happening!" Muta said shortly, relaxing in a lawn chair outside the yellow house. "I still got what it takes."_

"_Yeah, to eat your way through half of Tokyo!"_

"_Take that back you birdbrain!"_

_A window near the top of the house opened to reveal a slightly steamed Baron, who looked the same as ever._

"_Can you two kindly keep it down?! Nicole's trying to get to sleep!" he called to them angrily, making the cat and crow flinch from his tone, now unable to say a word._

"_Nicole?!" Haru whispered, willing her half-form to float up to the window, and walk through the wall as Baron shut the window again._

"_I'm sorry, darling, but that's the best I can do, with those two," the tawny feline apologized as he turned away from the window._

_A warm giggle made Haru look to the other side of the room. _

_She had no idea why the sight surprised her, but it did._

_On a canopied bed, a young white kitten was rubbing her eyes sleepily as Haru herself, looking the same as she did right now, took back an empty glass. Well, nearly the same, in any case. The dark blue dress that graced her slender frame was a little old-fashioned, but suited her wonderfully. Haru also took careful note of the stylish bun that swept her obviously shorter hair away from her face, which was more relaxed than Haru had felt in years._

"_It's okay, Daddy. I'm used to it," her future daughter sighed sleepily._

_The solid Haru laughed warmly as the ghost one nearly ran up to the bed, to get a closer look at Nicole._

_Sure, her fur and face was similar to her mother's, even sporting longer head fur like her, but her eyes were the same beautiful green as her father's. The little cat-girl yawned and snuggled between the sheets that her mother lovingly tucked around her. The older Haru kissed her daughter's forehead so tenderly, her eyes filled with undisguised love._

"_Sleep well, my treasure."_

_Baron also came up to the bed, and kissed his daughter goodnight._

"_Now remember, you're not allowed to have nightmares," he told her with a teasing grin. "I want happy dreams, understand?"_

"_Yes, Daddy," she giggled. "I love you."_

"_We love you too, Kitten," Haru whispered, turning down the lights so that Nicole could sleep. Softly, the doting parents walked out of the room, the phantom figure floating after them. The solid Haru sighed happily._

"_She's growing so well, Baron."_

"_Of course she is," the orange and cream cat said while snaking his arms around her waist to hold her close, purring a soft tenor. "She's just as beautiful as you are, love."_

"_You're such a terrible flirt," she laughed playfully._

"_Really? After all the practice I've been putting in?" Baron countered._

_The solid white hair laughed with amusement and delight, firmly wrapping her arms around her husband's neck so she could kiss him with full force. He equaled her passion, holding her like priceless china._

_Haru sighed happily as tears of relief flowed down her face. After a while, her solid self broke off the kiss, and looked in her counterpart's direction, smiling happily._

"_Does that answer your question?" she asked while laughing, making the ghost Haru panic. Baron sighed._

"_Who are you talking to __**this **__time, sweetheart?" he asked her curiously as the cat-woman in his arms purred a soft soprano._

"_Myself, of course. I can't see her, but she's there. Go back to your body, Haru, this is a future you do__** not **__want to miss out on, I promise."_


	18. Home to Stay

**Chapter Eighteen: Home to Stay**

Baron dipped his handkerchief into the small bowl of water again, and held it to that pale forehead. His gloves had been pulled off long ago, and his hands were stained red with his efforts to sew the ex-Cat Queen back into one piece.

The young woman had begun breathing again shortly after he had set her to rest on this bed, and her heart was resuming a steady pulse.

"Come on, Haru," he whispered again, wishing with all his heart to see her open her beautiful eyes again.

After a few more minutes, Haru's pale face began to contort, and a soft groan escaped her lips. Baron left the handkerchief on her forehead and held her hands with his own.

"Please come back, Louise," he begged. Her back arched a bit as a yawn was given, and rich chocolate eyes met soothing mint. She looked at him with mild surprise as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Louise Nicole von Blut, don't you ever scare me like that again!" he told her firmly, struggling to keep the tears at bay.

She weakly giggled as she tried to sit up, the handkerchief on her forehead falling into her lap from the action. "You even scold me like Dad used to. Even the accent is similar."

Baron raised one hand to her shoulder as he rearranged the pillows behind her back, so she could sit up without much effort. "Did you ever try to die in front of him?" he asked in an accusatory manner.

"Not intentionally, but sometimes things happened. It was important that the king mortally wound me before I killed him, and I knew you wouldn't let me do that if you had known beforehand."

The Cat Creation began to growl in irritation. "Enough games, Haru. How did you use the pearl?"

She smiled a bit. "When the first of the von Blut line became a magician and seer, he found that pearl at the bottom of an ocean inside a green oyster. When he first touched it, he foresaw one of his descendants using the pearl to gain immortality."

"Immortality?" Baron asked, feeling his heart speed up.

"Yes. If one of the line was wearing the pearl while struck with a deadly blow, and gave another back, willing to die with no thought to glory and the pearl pressed to the heart, then the death would be incomplete. I'll heal soon enough, Baron, but I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a few centuries. You're a very amusing fellow."

His familiar blush came back, but there was a smile of pleasure in it as she looked in her hands again, to see that the stone in the middle of the watch was now a blood red color. It was still ticking, but now it didn't seem to have the familiar enthusiasm that she remembered.

"This thing doesn't have any magical properties anymore," she said softly, rubbing it against one cheek. "Now it's just a treasured heirloom. Thank you, Baron, for giving it and my identity back."

Impulsively, he hugged her softly, in an attempt to disguise the tears of relief. It didn't work all that well.

She could already feel his heartbeat.

"It was my pleasure, Louise," he whispered, holding her like he had no intention of ever letting go. "Which name would you prefer to be addressed as?"

"I'll work with either one. They're both me, after all." Haru managed to wrap her arms around his middle, and look around.

It was the same bedroom that their daughter would one day live in, but it now lacked all of the touches that screamed that the room belonged to a little girl. It was a very cozy guest room.

"Where are we?" she asked Baron, spying a bit of night sky from the window she had seen in her vision.

The Creation Cat Lord stiffened, and pulled away, laughing a little nervously. "Well, after you collapsed, Natori wanted to send your body to the coroners. But, I knew you couldn't be dead, because your father swore you would be okay. So I sort of stole you away to my home, in the Creation Refuge, using your crown to make the portal. I have a spell working right now to keep them from interfering with trying to save your life. And Toto's keeping watch, just in case."

"Toto?" Haru asked, lying against the sheets again.

"Yes. He's a Crow Creation, crafted from stone. He and Muta thought I was crazy for bringing you here, but Muta wanted you back almost as much as I do."

She quirked one of her eyebrows at him, and smiled mischievously. "Oh really?"

He blushed again as she giggled a little. A tapping came from the window, making both of them look over. The black crow from before was carefully pecking the glass.

"Baron! They're making another attempt!"

The Creation Cat Lord sighed. "Of course they are."

The crow spotted the girl in bed, and made as much of a bow as he could manage before flying away.

"Haru, are you feeling up to making a public appearance?" the Cat Creation Lord asked her.

"To get the Cat Kingdom to stop trying to rescue my body?" the white feline asked in return.

"Yes. Are you strong enough?"

"Sure," she said, throwing off the blankets. She was still in her ball gown, but Baron had torn off the more unnecessary extras so that she would be more comfortable. She could feel stitches where every single cut had been, and saw that he had politely sewn the dress back together after bandaging her the best he could.

Firmly, but gently, the orange and cream cat picked her up, and walked out of the room, down the hall and a flight of stairs, and to the front door.

"Do I have to go back with them?" she whispered, keeping her arms around his neck. His eyes glowed, remembering how miserable the kingdom had made her.

"Not unless you want to, Haru. I'm certain that Lune and Yuki will honor whatever decision you make."

The white-haired she-cat had to giggle a bit.

"Lune once offered me the kingdom, after his father was dead, but I turned him down. I never liked living on display like a pet or toy."

Baron's embrace deepened, as he recalled his own years of being merely a possession. "I think I can understand that." _'It's so __**good **__to hear her talk out loud!'_

"I heard that," she informed him, giggling a bit as another blush crossed his cheeks.

ooOoo

"Muta, let us in already!" Lune ordered for the twelfth time as his soldiers took another run at the invisible barrier with a battering ram, only to have the assaulting implement shatter like glass again. The large white cat shook his head again while flipping to another page in the newspaper. The button for the shield was right next to him, along with a few apples, of course.

"Keep dreaming," he said in a bored tone. "The shield's not coming down until Baron gives the okay."

"But who knows what he's doing with Haru's body?!" Yuki demanded as tears fell down her alabaster cheeks. "Please, we just want to bury her in the manner she deserves."

The doors to the Cat Bureau suddenly opened, flooding the Refuge with a warm golden light. Muta glanced casually over his shoulder, but then dropped his newspaper in shock at the sight.

"Chicky?" he whispered reverently. The white half-cat beamed at him from her perch in Baron's arms.

"Hi, Muta-san. Did you have time to miss me?"

His mouth flapped a bit as his old friend carried the girl out of the house, and through the courtyard to the flabbergasted felines on the other side of the shield.

"Hi, everyone. Sorry for the scare, but I'm not dead, just wounded. Baron did nothing wrong with my body, so please stop trying to interfere," the white immortal cat said cheerfully, like she was a radio announcer.

The new royal couple were crying anew, but this time, it was tears of relief.

"Come on, Baron, let the shield come down so we can hug her," Yuki pleaded. But the Cat Creation shook his head.

"Her wounds are still fresh, and you're more than likely to be enthusiastic in hugging her. Could you kindly wait until she heals a bit more?"

Yuki wanted to protest again, but her husband covered her mouth.

"A week?" the new Cat King asked.

"Sounds fair," Haru said, shrugging. "So, what's going to be my punishment for killing a monarch? You _do _have to do something about it, for appearances, if nothing else."

Lune seriously considered the possibilities, making Baron's temper threaten to explode.

"After all she went through, you're honestly considering-"

"A medal," the gray monarch said firmly. "A nice shiny medal reading 'Courage'. I bet you'd like that a lot more than another invitation to marry into the royal family, Haru."

The white half-cat giggled. "I don't need a medal and your son's a bit young for me. A 'thank you' would work just fine, Lune."

The young king pouted. "Oh, all right, Haru. Thanks, but if you ever need anything, you know how to look me up, right?"

"Duh, Lune. A big fat one."

Baron was more than a little surprised at her frank choice of words, but Lune just laughed his head off, saluting the girl warmly.

"I even missed _that_. Be nice to her, Baron, or you're going to get it."

"I doubt you'll have to worry about that," the Cat Creation said firmly, although he ached to say 'I'll take better care of her than you ever did.'

ooOoo

On the other side of the shield, the familiar shadowy figure of the seer watched with joy as the cats left the Creation Refuge, and Baron once again carried his future bride inside the house they would one day share.

The seer wasn't all that worried, he knew better than anyone that the orange and cream cat wouldn't do anything improper with his mate-to-be. He would keep her in his house until she had healed physically, and then allow her to move into another house in the Refuge, since they were all empty. After precisely three months of courtship, Baron would propose… and his daughter would accept.

The seer turned away as the lights went out, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket so he could dry his streaming eyes.

"Sorry I couldn't bring him sooner, Sweetheart," the ghost of Damian von Blut whispered lovingly, as he disappeared for the last time. "Everything in its proper time and place."

ooOoo

Lots of love to; Ghost Wulf, fringeperson, Rini's Ghost, Chantal, gacktxx, Bambi4ever, kittydemon18, Bibishi Kuronecko787, Drifting One, NinjaoftheDarkness, Nonimouse, QuickStar, Lunarobi Pride, asian9090, Lanari, fairyMei33, Anonomous-Allstar-Fan (and Bob), zara2148, lilmouse1988, SetoSesshoumarulover18, anne-marie, Thundercat, Seichou, 10tailwolfdemon, Icefyre01, cuteknight101, EmoCupcake354, Alika Jones, Grassina3, ShiroLight, ArtsyChick, Gwendolyn368, Singer-Number-1(which was really Drifting One under cover), EgyptLover4, Poet on the Run, and LeafeKnight7 for sticking through my most depressing and heart-warming story yet.

You know, I honestly thought that people would start boiling tar and collecting feathers if I posted a story where the Cat King actually marries Haru, so I'm happily surprised to be proven wrong. But I just couldn't get the blasted idea out of my head, so here it is.

Again, thanks for reading and reviewing my work. It's getting harder and harder to write anymore (thanks to my well-meaning mother), but I'm still good for a few more stories.

Like this next one;

_Wanted; a competent housekeeper and nanny for the three motherless children of the Baron von Gikkingen. Must be good at cooking vegetarian meals, cleaning the manor, and telling stories to the children. ONLY PLAIN GIRLS NEED APPLY! _

Lots of love,

YarningChick


End file.
